Ignorance-Dramione
by JayJayGinge
Summary: It starts in the 4th year but moves into the 5th year for the remainder of the story. Hermione and Draco's whirlwind of a twisted and dramatic romance. Draco is in denial and Hermione's emotions are breaking down. Secrets are kept from the closest of friends and unusual things are about to happen at Hogwarts. Unsure about the rating atm. (The summary isn't good but please read)
1. Irresistable

**_This is an updated version of this chapter because originally it was quite short and I didn't like it when I re-read it so I added bits in and I hope I've made it better. Please tell me in a review if you think it's good or not x_**

**_Ignorance_**

**_Chapter 1-Irresistable_**

_Draco's POV:_

Hermione Granger was annoying me once again. It wasn't so much as what she was doing. It was what she _wasn't _doing. She wasn't looking at me. Again! Obviously, this was odd behaviour. Almost every girl in school found me irresistible, but not her. Why? What was it about my fourth year self that she didn't find appealing?

"Mr Malfoy, could you please pay attention!" Professor McGonagall barked sharply. I whipped my head forward to face her instantly so that no-one would catch me looking at Granger. However, McGonagall had already returned to teaching the lesson and was taking no further notice of me. I allowed myself another quick glance at Granger. She was looking at me. I smirked evilly at her; satisfied that she had turned to see me. She shot me an angry expression in return and focused back on McGonagall with a slightly flushed face. I didn't feel that it was necessary to check on her again during Transfiguration; I had already confirmed that even Hermione mudblood Granger couldn't ignore me.

It was dinner time. All the lessons for the day had finished and everyone had filed into the Great Hall. It was an extremely large room with four long tables spread across it. At the front of the room, there was a small stage which held another, slightly shorter table for the professors of Hogwarts-the magical school that I attended. Candles filled the air, floating around our heads and the ceiling was bewitched to look like the real sky above it. I sat at the table nearest to the wall on the left hand side of the room-the Slytherin table. There were carved patterns around the edges of it, all of them were coloured green and silver-as these were the house colours. The plates and cutlery were also the same-silver with green rims around the edge. During the Tri-Wizard Tournament, we had adopted the boys from Durmstrang Wizarding School onto our table. All of them were large boys with broad shoulders and looked much older than they said they were. I didn't speak to them a lot because I didn't really see the point. There was nothing of value in it for me. Except Viktor Krum, him I occasionally spoke to. He was a very famous seeker in Quidditch and we had acknowledged each other as people that would be useful for us to know. I-being a Malfoy-was very respected in the Wizarding world. Therefore he had sought me out. Viktor wasn't too bad to be around-he was quite dim but so was everyone else I spoke to. What I couldn't comprehend was his fascination with Hermione Granger. There was nothing special about her bushy brown hair. Nor was there anything exciting about her chocolate brown eyes. No not chocolate-mud. Muddy brown eyes just like her blood. I glanced along the table to see Viktor watching Granger once again. Shaking my head I turned to Blaise Zabini-my best friend and the only other intelligent person nearby.

"I just don't understand him." I said plainly. Not caring if Viktor heard.

"Who?" Blaise replied.

"Krum of course. He spends all of his time staring at the mudblood, it makes absolutely no sense."

"Maybe he likes lion mane hairstyles?"

I chuckled. We ate in silence then for a few minutes. I was wrapped up in my thoughts-the ones that I never shared with anyone. Most of them revolved around Granger. I just didn't understand her or why anyone would want to be around her. I couldn't explain to myself why these thoughts buzzed around in my head let alone to someone else, so I never voiced them. I allowed Blaise to hear a few of them on rare occasions but he never helped me to answer my questions. We had both finished our food before either one of us said anything. It was Blaise who began speaking first.

"What do you think Snape wants us for then?"

"What do you mean?"

"Honestly Draco, do you ever listen in Transfiguration? McGonagall told us something important. " He shook his head fondly.

"You know I don't. What did she say?"

"She said that 'each of you are required to report to your head of house straight after dinner near their classrooms.' But she didn't say why. So Snape wants us basically." He mimicked Professor McGonagall's brisk Scottish accent perfectly.

"All of us together?"

"Well each house together yeah."

"Merlin this will be fun." I sighed, sarcasm dripping heavily from my lips. Pushing my white blonde hair-which I wore hanging forward now-out of my eyes, I stood up and began to make my way out of the Great Hall. Blaise followed at my heels like a loyal dog. But he was my favourite out of all of my 'dogs'. We sauntered through the hallways in the direction of the potions classroom. Several pairs of eyes followed us. As we walked past the staircases, we were politely greeted by many of the moving photographs. I ignored them.

"Where are the students from the other schools supposed to go?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Probably to their headmasters."

"Good, I was getting sick of them hanging around us." I smiled to myself. Blaise shook his head as we continued across the grounds and down more hallways.

When we finally reached the potions classroom almost half of Slytherin house were already waiting outside-gossiping loudly. I hated their mindless chatter. It was so unimportant considering the information that I had overhead my father talking about the previous summer. I shouldn't have been eavesdropping-it was dangerous. But for now I was safe. And none of the idiots in this school would know what was going on before it was too late-for all of us. At the sudden silence I glanced up to see Professor Snape striding down the corridor, his flowing black cloak whipping around him. His expression remained cold and bitter as I stared at him with fury in my silvery grey eyes. How could he continue with his life as if nothing was wrong? He knew what was to happen just as well as I did. I was only keeping up the facade because otherwise I would probably be killed. He had no need to do so. He went straight into the classroom and emerged seconds later holding the door open.

"In now." He barked. The Slytherin students began dashing into the room, their green and silver uniforms becoming nothing but fuzzy blurs of colour. I entered last with Blaise to see that the potions tables had been levitated into the air and replaced by individual seats around the edges of the room. The tables floated neatly above our heads on their own. The room appeared very spacious now and at the end of the room there was an old record player with a giant silver horn attached to it. We had better not be using that record player. If we were then I would have to hurt someone.

"Sit." Snape's snarling voice echoed off the stone walls.

The huddles of nattering girls disbanded and they took their seats on one side of the room while the boys occupied the others. The room was filled with silence. Leaning back in my chair, I let out a sigh of boredom. Snape's eyes flitted to me for a split second as he glided up the middle of the room. When he reached the end, he turned slowly on his heel to face us.

"I have some news that will no doubt irritate all of those that do not wish to comply." He drawled seeming bored. So I wasn't the only one. The other students watched him carefully, confusion evident on their faces.

"The school is having a ball. The Yule Ball comes hand in hand with the Tri-Wizard Tournament and takes place over the Christmas holidays-in one month's time." A series of groans echoed around the room. But most of the girls sat straighter in their seats and began eyeing some of the boys. I watched as several pairs of hopeful eyes rested on me. Irritated, I looked at the ground.

"It is a tradition that must be upheld so I strongly suggest that you do not return home for Christmas this year. You will be required to formally ask a partner to the Ball as there will of course be dancing." Professor Snape's thin lips twitched up at the corners, clearly happy that he doesn't have to find a 'date'. I sank lower in my seat. There was no doubt that my mother would send me some ridiculous robes that have been passed down my family line. And I would be made to attend by my father. He was a firm believer in upholding tradition-even for a Death Eater. But I would much rather sit in the common room on my own.

"Now the headmaster has asked me to teach you how to dance properly for this occasion. But I will not be doing that. So pay attention to the video." He moved to the back of the room-near the door-and tapped on a rusty tape player. It projected an old film onto the wall across. We sat in silence as a male voice guided us through the steps to the dance. A demonstration was given but I payed no attention to any of it. I already knew how to dance in this way. My mother had taught me before she and father held a small family ball some years ago. Whilst I watched the stone floor, I heard a whirring noise as the video alerted us that it was over. I glanced up to Professor Snape. He was marching over to the door and when he reached it, he held it open with his long arm. We took this as our signal to leave so we all stood up and hurried out of the classroom. Snape allowed each student to exit without giving them a second glance. However when I came to the door, he placed a hand on my shoulder to stop me. Quizzically, I looked to him. His urgent eyes bore into mine; as if he was trying to tell me something. But I shrugged his hand off and glared back at him for a few seconds before storming out of the room. He knew that I had heard. I didn't want his warnings though. Did he actually think I was stupid? I knew of the danger that I was in and I didn't need him trying to care for me.

As we were leaving, Blaise tapped me on the shoulder. I turned to face him.

"Did you notice how many girls were watching you in there?" It was more of a statement than an answer-he knew that I always noticed. I watched a group of Slytherin third year girls amble out of the potions classroom behind us and hurry past us with their heads close together, whispering about the ball. I simply nodded.

"So who're you going to go with?" He tried.

"Preferably nobody."

"But you heard what Snape sa..." But I cut him off.

"If someone asks me then I'll oblige but I'm not going to be inviting anyone to go with me. And didn't you see Snape? He doesn't actually care."

"Alright. But what was that thing with Snape at the door all about? He gave you a really weird look." He prodded wearily. I bit my tongue. He couldn't know because it was too dangerous for anyone to know. _I_ wasn't even supposed to know. I was going to make sure that Blaise was as safe as possible-he was my best friend after all.

"I don't really know Blaise. But you know Snape; he's a bit of a creep." Anger surged inside of me at the thought of him. How dare he even stay at Hogwarts.

We made our way back across the grounds and entered the courtyard which was outside the entrance to the headmaster's office on our way to the common room. There I saw Hermione Granger sat on the fountain bench with Viktor Krum. The water shot out of the top and trickled down the sides, creating a gentle rain-like sound. My walking stopped for a moment and I shook my head in disgust. Blaise tugged on my arm to get me moving again. However, I kept an eye on the quiet pair as we passed. Viktor was sat rather close to Granger, his head stooped low to reach her level. She sat facing him with her hand lightly in his, blushing a deep crimson. Slowly, her gaze drifted away from Krum as she noticed us walking past. Her jaw dropped slightly in surprise and she looked back at Krum. After noticing her distraction, Krum lifted his head to acknowledge us and gave a curt nod. I scowled disapprovingly at them before quickening my pace. Why was he spending so much time around her? It was embarrassing really. As I travelled through the corridors and down into the dungeons with Blaise at my side, we didn't speak a word to each other. Silence followed our footsteps. Soon we entered the bitter cold, dark dungeon corridor that we would find the entrance to our common room in. The sound of our footsteps started to bounce off the walls; which amplified them as we rushed along. Water dripped slowly from the damp walls-due to the lake surrounding us-onto the floor with light thuds. The dripping often made me feel insane. Then we arrived at the cells of Hogwarts. These were no longer used for their original purpose but instead as the entrance to the Slytherin common room. Glancing at Blaise, I walked over to the correct wall and muttered the password to it. Instantly, it sprang to life. The heavy stone wall scraped across the floor without making any sound at all. As soon as we crossed through the entrance to Slytherin common room, we were hit in the face by a wall of intense heat. It rolled over our skin pleasantly and made me feel at home. Most people believed that the Slytherin common room would be depressing and cold-but really it was as warm and inviting as all of the other common rooms. My eyes wandered uninterested around the room out of habit. The long room was quite full today. Almost every silk green armchair was occupied and the fire was roaring at the far end of the room. I walked past the crowds of people and settled into the bay window that looked out into the depths of the lake. I enjoyed sitting here to observe the creatures of the lake-I had even seen merpeople occasionally swimming past. Sea green water plants crawled up the walls and floated out in front of the thick glass. Blaise had followed me over to the window but he hadn't sat down, instead he was leaning against the wall to watch me. But I ignored him. Slowly I pressed my face against the cool glass, the slight moisture forming icy water droplets against my forehead. Then he spoke.

"Stop sulking will you, that scowl hasn't left your face since we saw Krum with Granger. If I didn't know any better I'd think you were jealous." He teased with a glint in his brown eyes. A small sigh escaped my lips. It irritated me to have to explain myself to him.

"I'm _not_ jealous. I just don't approve. Granger is a mudblood; Krum shouldn't be spending time with her. But he hangs around her like flies around rubbish. It's just irritating. And I don't see why Granger likes _him_ but she doesn't even look at _me_. He's actually not good-looking; he's practically bald! Have you s_een _his hair? No you haven't because he hasn't got any!" My tone suddenly became loud and bitter. Blaise recoiled as if I had slapped him and the few other people in the common room turned to stare.

"Draco calm down. Not every girl likes you. And besides, you can't have her anyway. You're a pure-blood that's too proud and she's a mudblood who hates your guts. It'd never work." He lowered his voice so that it was gentle and practically a whisper.

"Whatever, I don't care Blaise." I heaved myself off the window, held up my hands on either side of my head and began to walk backwards. "I'm going to bed."

"Aren't you going to do your homework?"

"Nope."

I saw him shake his head as I ascended the winding stairs to my room. Pushing open the door, I walked forward a few paces and flopped on my green bed. With little effort I yanked the silky, soft, green curtains around my bed and lay in the midst of the green fog. Thinking about what Blaise had said caused me to scowl again. What did he mean I _can't _have her? I'm Draco Malfoy. I can have anything or anyone I want. Who was he to tell me I couldn't? And I could certainly have Hermione Granger if I really wanted her.

_Hermione's POV:_

Viktor Krum smiled at me before waving and walking away towards the lake-where the Durmstrang boat was floating. As soon as he was out of my sight, my hand flew to my head and I sat back down on the fountain bench. He had just invited me to the Yule Ball with him. I had said yes. _Why had I said yes?_ I didn't like him really; he was much too old and not very good at participating in conversation. I suppose I was just afraid of not having someone to go with. He wasn't too bad though for a famous wizard. At least he wasn't like Malfoy. Arrogant; mean; vain. Yes at least he wasn't like that. But he also wasn't as attractive as Draco...


	2. Verging on Obsession

**_This is also an update because again I didn't like what I previously wrote in this chapter. So I went back to improve it and hopefully this will be the last time that I do that._**

**_Chapter 2-Verging on Obsession_**

_Draco's POV:_

As I sat in potions, I stared at the desk in-front of me. The thick black curtains had been drawn, shrouding the room in darkness and trapping the heat inside; making me feel sleepy. Professor Snape was setting an essay-which I wouldn't do-so there was no need for me to listen. Other things were spinning around my head. I had heard things from the Durmstrang boys. Apparently Viktor Krum had asked Granger to attend the Yule Ball with him. What an idiot. He was in for a whole night of smart remarks about his grammar, boring school conversations and staring at her untamed hair. I also knew that she was keeping it a complete secret from her friends-and everyone else really. I looked up at her. She was sat with Potter and Weasley on the circular desk next to mine, scribbling furiously on her parchment in an attempt to make as many notes as possible about the essay. A smirk spread across my face at the thought of her finding out that I knew. Instantly, I snagged up a small piece of parchment from the pile in-front of me and wrote:

_'So Granger, how did you manage to score a date with Krum?'_

Checking that Snape wasn't watching, I pulled out my wand and tapped the smooth paper. It began to fold itself, twisting and turning until it became a tiny paper dragon. I was especially gifted at this. It was quite a complex charm but it folded paper into any shape that you wanted. My favourites were the dragon and bird. Then I delicately picked it up, placed it in my hands and blew it towards Hermione. It's tiny, white dragon wings fluttered to keep it up until it had bobbed over people's heads and reached her. It almost landed in her hair. Her stupidly bushy hair. Then as it landed gently in-front of her she jumped a little, having been so engrossed in her notes. She glanced around the dim room before tentatively picking it up an unfolding it. I waited in anticipation as she read the words. Then her whole body shot backwards as she dropped the paper to the desk. It glided down and landed on her parchment without any sound. When she whipped her head around again to find the source of her note, I was waiting readily for her. I smirked at her as we locked stares. Granger's eyes widened with fear for a second before her eyebrows dropped and she gave me a fierce glare. Chuckling, I faced the front of the room. I heard her crumple up the paper and I chuckled again.

As the lesson dragged on, I noticed Granger stealing glances at me. For some reason, this seemed to satisfy me. The lesson continued this way. She even spilt a large portion of her potion because she was watching me with hatred printed across her face. The whole time I couldn't prevent my smug grin from breaking out. I adored making her mad. When I finished my potion-a thick, sticky and purple liquid-I strolled up to the front of the room and plopped the vile down on Professor Snape's desk. He nodded at me from his black board but I turned sharply to block him from my view. As I did so, I collided with Granger. The vile slipped from her grasp and her hands swiped furiously at the air to retrieve it. However, I could see that she wasn't going to catch it so-using my lightning quick seeker reflexes-I snatched it out of the air. Granger dropped her gaze to the floor.

"Thanks Malfoy." She mumbled. But then her face changed back to that familiar expression of repulsion. As she opened her mouth to speak, I knew she was going to confront me about the note so I spoke over her.

"You're welcome Granger. But if you would stop sneaking up on people then you wouldn't have nearly dropped your potion-for the second time today. Next time, tell someone when you're planning to walk close enough to sniff their hair." I pushed the vile into her hands and walked away, leaving her gaping after me.

When the class finally finished, I stood up and went to leave. Everyone else gushed out of the doorway like spilt water so I was one of the last ones to leave. Blaise had left me behind-as he had a different lesson to me next. But as I walked through the corridor on my way to Defence Against the Dark Arts, a firm hand slammed down onto my shoulder and I was pulled into an empty classroom. Startled, my eyes rapidly swept the pitch black room until they came to rest on a faint figure. An angered female voice muttered 'lumos' and a blinding light erupted in front of me. I had to look away to prevent myself from losing my sight. As I gazed around the large room, I noticed that it was one of the old and unused Divination classrooms. The desks were lined up at the front of the room and there was a large space at the back-which I was standing in-which had shelves full of crystal balls and telescopes. I couldn't see much more as the light refused to stretch that far. When my eyes had adjusted to the light, I looked at the person stood in front of me. The canopy of light faded from their face and I saw Hermione Granger. Then a huge, evil grin spread across my pale face.

"Granger, how nice to see you-again. We seem to be bumping into each other a lot today. Have you got some kind of obsession with me?"

"Don't give me that dragon-dropping." She grabbed my robes in her fist and pulled me closer. I was close enough to see the raging fire burning deep inside her dark eyes.

"Who told you about Krum and what in the name of Merlin do you want?" She spat. I placed my hand over hers and unhooked her fingers, pushing her back with authority.

"Who said I wanted anything?"

"I'm not stupid Malfoy. Why else would you bother to make it clear to me that you knew about it?"

"Maybe I was just curious. You haven't answered my question, how did you get him to ask you out?"

All the anger left her eyes and was replaced by suspicion.

"You haven't answered mine either." She stated simply.

"I was told by some of the Durmstrang boys. Apparently your _boyfriend_ has been blabbing." I spat back at her. Granger sunk into a nearby chair. Cautiously, I watched her before taking a seat next to her.

"I don't know why he asked me, he just did. But he said he wouldn't tell people..." She mumbled. Taken aback, I stared at her.

"Why wouldn't you want him to tell people? Did you actually think that people wouldn't notice that you were together when it gets to the Yule Ball?"

"I just don't really want to bewith him. I thought that if the only place that people saw us together was the ball then they wouldn't think too much of it. Now they'll think it's a long term thing." She groaned lightly. Then in an instant, she turned on me. With her exhumed anger, she grabbed me again-seeming almost desperate.

"Don't you dare spread it around any further! If it's only the Durmstrang boys then it'll be manageable."

I decided that I had been too lenient up until now. She needed to be reminded of who was in charge here. So I turned to face her and allowed my expression to grow cold and frightful-as it usually was with her.

"Ok Granger, I've been nice so far. You grabbed me and pulled me into a room-if I wanted to, I could hex you for assault right now. You also have been rude and demanding. I don't like that and you're pushing it too far at the minute. I will do as I please. So Hermione Granger shut your un-godly, lopsided mouth immediately!" I stood in a burst of fury and loomed over her. My shadow engulfed her tiny, trembling body. She didn't really have a lopsided mouth but it had spurted out at the last minute. I almost felt bad. _Almost_. Her bottom quivered for a second before she bit down on it hard. But I still saw it. An unusual surge of guilt rushed through me. I pushed it away.

"Now I'm going to class. Move." But before she had the chance, I pushed past her.

Hermione Granger was also in my Defence Against the Dark Arts class. This had slipped my mind when I had been in the empty room with her earlier and now I had to deal with seeing her whilst a bubble of guilt swirled around in my stomach. She had looked terrified when I had shouted at her. Served her right though. I watched her mouth drone on and on as she gave Professor Moody a very long winded answer to a very simple question. Why did she have to talk so much? Bored, I cast my eyes around the room. I examined the various harmful creatures and body parts that were situated in jars around on shelves. When at last she stopped talking, it was because the professor had held up his chubby hand by her face.

"That's very good Miss Granger. Now be quiet." His gruff voice echoed around the classroom. She blushed and I smirked to myself. Professor Moody annoyed me greatly but I loved the way that he embarrassed Granger.

"Ok then class. Today is a practical lesson. You'll be practising duels. I've produced a list on which you will find your name and your partner. You won't be choosing your partners because I have placed you each with someone who I believe to have similar abilities to you. That will make it fair and interesting for you all." At this, Professor Moody tapped the chalk board with his wand and the list of names appeared. I walked over to the board-elbowing or pushing people out of the way-and searched for my name. I was with Potter.

_Hermione's POV:_

I waited until everyone else had moved from the board before I made my way forward to check who I was paired with. My keen eyes skimmed over the white letters until I saw my name...next to Pansy Parkinson's. How had I ended up with her? She couldn't possibly be my equal at duelling. Sighing, I turned to see her waiting for me with a shrewd grin. I hesitantly took my place in the line of Gryffindors that faced the Slytherins. Each person was widely spaced out and seemed ready to kill. Professor Moody limped to the front of the room and stood in between the two lines.

"Now I don't want any of you to seriously injure your opponent. Only use spells that you can do and you know that you will be able to get the correct affect from. This isn't a time to practise unknown or unusual spells. Begin."

The two lines bowed to each other. It was supposed to show respect to your opponent but none of that was shown during this gesture; everyone practically snarled at each other. Then the room was suddenly filled with the shouts of pupils as they tried desperately to scream spells at their opponent and make the first hit. This was the crucial part in my opinion-attacking your target first would knock their confidence, therefore giving you an advantage. Seeing that Pansy had already begun to lift her wand, I turned to her and raised my own. Instantly she opened her mouth to attack but I was quicker.

"Flipendo!" I screeched. Pansy was sent flying backwards into the air. She landed with a large thud on the hard, wooden flooring. As her face pressed heavily against the floor a groan of pain escaped her lips. Slowly, Pansy raised herself onto her hands and knees. I watched her spit out a mouthful of red liquid-probably her saliva mixed with blood from the impact-and release another groan of agony.

"Well done Miss Granger, very fast." Professor Moody observed. I turned my head to accept the praise out of habit. Whilst I did this, Pansy leapt up and pointed her wand at me. I only just managed to turn my head to see her mouth form the words.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Her shrill voice was followed by a dim blue light emanating from the tip of her wand and hitting me. My body froze; I tried to move but I couldn't. I had to wait until the spell wore off. But she didn't fight fair. As I remained solid and still, she attacked again.

"Stupefy." She almost whispered with a smug smile creeping onto her face. A blinding light erupted from her wand this time and hit me full force in the chest-maybe a little to the left. My still frozen body was flung backwards. My consciousness was beginning to slip away-due to the effects of the spell-as I felt my head collide with the wall. That's why she was paired with me. Her sneakiness matched my knowledge.

_Draco's POV:_

I heard Pansy scream out louder than the others but ignored it, until Potter stopped casting his next spell and turned to stare wide-eyed down the line of Gryffindors. I followed his gaze and saw Granger collide with the far wall and flop into a heap on the stone floor. Her limp body looked so frail and fragile. Suddenly a sharp pain twisted sickeningly through my stomach. Without thinking, I rushed forward and dropped down to kneel next to her. Immediately I tried to pick her up but it proved difficult as her body was locked in a position that suggested she should have been standing. Still I heaved, for some reason I seemed desperate to get her off the floor. After a few seconds, her body went limp and light again so I was able to pick her up. The spell must have worn off. I placed a hand under her arms and the other under her knees so that her body rested across my arms. Then I carefully stood up and after staring down at her unconscious face, I turned around to see the whole class staring at me in astonishment. Their mouths hung open slightly as they gawped. Then Weasley took a careful step forward and his arm twitched, suggesting that he wanted to curse me.

"Put her down Malfoy." He trembled slightly. I struggled to think of an excuse for what I was doing. _What was I doing?_ But my insecurity only lasted for a few seconds and then I thought of an answer, summoned back my confidence and replied.

"Relax Weasley; I'm just taking her to the hospital wing. Someone has to do it and it's not as if you could pick her up." I smirked at him before glancing at Professor Moody. He simply nodded so I made my way out of the classroom with Granger draped over my arms. The group of my classmates parted to create a pathway. My fellow Slytherins stared at me with a mixture of disbelief and annoyance but I simply ignored them-as I did with a lot of people-I was their prince and they couldn't judge me. Lifting my head a little higher, I made eye contact with Potter. I couldn't read his face but I didn't really want to. Instead I strolled out of the door and into the corridor.

As I walked along the corridors with Granger in my arms, I grew more and more scared that she would wake up. If she did then she would no doubt push away from me, causing her to fall once again to the ground-which I would surely be blamed for. With that in mind, I pulled her closer to my body. Her head rolled on the side and her cheek pressed against my shoulder. After a few more minutes her slim fingers locked around the fabric of my robes. I rolled my eyes. Various portraits watched us as I carried her in my arms. Many of them attempted to ask what was wrong but I never gave them an answer-I had no time for conversing with portraits. The hallways also seemed longer than usual. Then I reached the bottom of the stairs that lead up to the hospital wing. Looking down at her unconscious face again, I gripped her tighter and began to climb the steps. Luckily puberty had been kind enough to give me some relatively big muscles. My arms weren't _huge _but they were noticeable and I was able to carry Granger quite easily. When I finally reached the top of the stairs, I wanted to run down the corridor because she was bound to wake up soon. But I wasn't strong enough for that! So I had to walk at a leisurely pace. My arms were beginning to tire slightly so I tried to grasp her more firmly. The feeling of her soft, warm skin against me stirred unusual emotions. She didn't feel any different from a pureblood like me. But she _was_ a mudblood. I reassured myself with the knowledge that I of course couldn't feel her blood and that was why she felt normal. As I arrived at the hospital doors, I let out a large sigh of relief. I would soon be able to put her down. Stopping, I nudged the door with my foot and struggled into the large, white room. When we appeared through the small gap that my foot had managed to make, Madame Pomfrey saw us and rushed to my side.

"What happened?" She asked with her wrinkled hand resting on Granger's forehead.

"She was stupefied whilst she was unable to move her body in Defence Against the Dark Arts."

Her face grew alarmed and she examined Granger much more closely. I noticed that I was taller than her by half a head and would no doubt continue to grow. This gave me a strange sense of power and authority. But when she cast her eyes over me again, I suddenly felt tiny and young. Even though her body appeared rather delicate and weak, her aged eyes were twinkling with wisdom and an authority that I would never achieve.

"Where did the spell hit her? Do you know?"

"No, is that important?" I glanced over Granger's body, checking for any signs of impact.

"Well it depends, if she was hit in a vital area-such as the head-whilst she was unable to move then it's more serious than I originally thought. But not by too much."

"Well she hit her head on the wall after the impact." I mumbled while my eyes were focused on her body, still searching for evidence of the spot of impact. Madame Pomfrey's head snapped up like a rabbit cornered by a fox. But this rabbit  
fought back.

"Well that makes it serious no matter where she was hit. Bring her over here." She instructed and guided-almost pulled-me towards the nearest bed. I complied. Madame Pomfrey burst into life. She didn't seem old and fragile now; she was exploding with energy and urgency. She swiftly pulled back the quilt and I lay her down in the soft bed. As I did so, her robes shifted off of her shoulder to reveal a singe in her jumper.

"I think it was there, on her left shoulder." I gestured to it. She simply nodded and hurried away, leaving me stood helplessly next to her. I looked down to her pale face. _Why am I here?_ What in the name of Merlin was I thinking? I haven't been able to get Granger away from me all day. Falling down into the small chair beside her bed, I stooped my head low to rest it in my hands. Then I ran my fingers backwards through my hair before allowing my head to rest in my hands again. This had been a stressful, unpredictable and fast-paced day. I rubbed my eyes thoroughly until my vision went black and hazy. I thought of staying like that, it was better to not have to see where I was. I didn't want to be at the bedside of Hermione Granger in the hospital. No one did. What if she woke up? At that thought I quickly lifted my head up and blinked several times in an attempt to restore my sight. At least now I would see if she began to stir and could run. Madame Pomfrey eventually returned, her shoes tapping swiftly on the floor as she hurried with a bottle in her hand to Granger's bed. I watched as she poured a watery blue liquid out of the bottle and into a spoon. Then she looked at me expectantly.

"Move her head to the side please dear."

Obeying the older woman I reached over and at first my hands fluttered around her face, not knowing what to do. But then I placed my fingers lightly on her cheek and pushed her head. Madame Pomfrey smiled, nodded and poured the liquid into Granger's ear. She then rushed off again. I stayed a while longer, staring at Granger's limp body. She looked so weak. Not at all like the fiery tempered Gryffindor that I saw in her. Or like the surprisingly strong girl that punched me last year. Her hair had fallen across her face. Her stupidly bushy hair. It was always just _there_. So I contemplated moving it. After a while of deep thinking, I extended my hand and brushed the large lock of hair away from her face. Then I watched her breathe. It was bizarre to think that she was a human with the ability to think and feel as I do. Mostly people seemed to be nothing more than voices without a brain, simply there to fill the silence until you sat down and realised that they were real. They have a purpose. As I sat there, her eyes suddenly fluttered open. Jumping up, I stumbled backwards and almost fell onto the bed behind me. She stared at me with confusion, as if she was finding it hard to concentrate on me. I used this as my opportunity to run. So I fled out of the door with as much dignity as I could.

_Hermione's POV:_

Was that Draco Malfoy? No it couldn't have been. What would he have been doing at my bedside? But this wasn't _my_ bed. Nor was it my room. My room housed four other girls and was decorated with rich reds, crimsons and golds. I woke up every morning feeling like I had slept inside the sun due to the thick red curtains that I pulled down to shield me from the world as I slept. A slither of sunlight would be creeping in through the tiny gap that I always left to allow the bright, warm morning light to seep through. This room was white and pristine. No slithers of sunlight tried to contact me here, just ugly candle light. I turned my head but a soggy feeling burst inside my ear. I felt as though I had water trapped in it. Just as I was about to poke my finger in it to remove the water, Madame Pomfrey bustled into the room. So I was in the hospital ward then. Why? And how?

"Ah good you're awake dear. I thought that potion would do the trick. No don't touch it. Thank you." She walked over to me and placed a hand over mine to lower it away from my ear. Then she placed her warm, wrinkly hand on my forehead.

"Right, you go back to sleep for a while and you'll be able to leave in the morning. You'll be good as new." After a quick, kind smile her body whipped around and she made her way across the room to see to a young Ravenclaw boy with his leg hung up in a cast.

"Wait, Madame Pomfrey?" I called weakly. Shocking myself with my croaky voice I placed a hand to my throat and coughed slightly. She turned back and nodded at me kindly.

"Was...was that Draco Malfoy in here just now?"

"Oh yes it was."

"Why was he here? I mean why was he sat by my bed?" I tried to sit up. I had hoped that I had imagined it. Clearly I hadn't.

"He carried you in dear, and as if that wasn't enough he was very helpful after that. He placed you down in the bed and moved your head so that I could put the potion in your ear. He even sat with you while I was out of the room. Strange though, he ran off as soon as you woke up. I don't know why. Now sleep." She shot me another smile before trotting off once more. I stared up at the ceiling. _What?_ Why had he done that? Malfoy would rather I be dead than carry me. Wouldn't he? Seems as though he had been hanging around me all day.

**_Please review because I can't tell if you actually like it or if you're all just checking it out when you've seen it. Let me know if you want me to continue, if I don't get reviews then I'll assume that not enough people are interested and I might have to consider stopping the updates but if I have to do that at all then I'd rather do it earlier so that I'm not wasting my time. So please let me know. _**


	3. Quidditch Antics

**_Sorry it's short but I've been on holiday and now I've started work experience. Also I've been spending time re-writing the first two chapters so if you want to you can go back and read those again. _**

**_Chapter 3-Quidditch Antics_**

_Hermione's POV:_

As I sat in the quidditch stands, I nibbled on a biscuit and watched Harry show Ron how to perform a fairly complicated broom manoeuvre. It was Sunday and I had nothing better to do. All of my homework had been completed either yesterday or during the week and I was starting to wish that I had left some of it until now-just so that I wouldn't have to sit doing absolutely nothing now. It wasn't too bad though because I was sat with Ginny. However I could tell that she wanted to talk about Malfoy. She-being a year younger-hadn't been in the lesson when I had been knocked out and he had taken me to Madame Pomfrey. But I didn't really want to tell her about it; partly because there was nothing to tell and also because I couldn't remember anything other than what people had told me. So I wasn't her best source of information. I stared down at my feet as I knocked them together. As it was the weekend I was wearing my own clothes. So I wore a plain light pink t-shirt, tight blue jeans, light pink converse, a red hoodie with a denim jacket over it and my Gryffindor scarf. Being almost Christmas it was freezing out on the school grounds. Most people had resorted to hiding in the common rooms huddling around the fire in any warm clothes that they could find. But not Harry and Ron. They had insisted that they should go flying on their brooms. Ginny begged to go with them and I hadn't wanted to be on my own. So here I was. Pulling my denim jacket tighter around my body, I turned to Ginny.

"Can we go back to the common room yet?" I pleaded, shivering. Ginny simply waved her hand at me and sat further forward in her seat, excitement in her eyes.

"No way, Ron is trying to do that thing on his broom now and I want to see him fall off."

"You have so much faith in him."

"Hermione be honest, you know he won't be able to do it."

"I...I think that he'll eventually get the hang of it." I muttered, sheepishly looking back over to him. Ginny was probably right. But I didn't get to see Ron try the move because Ginny tapped my shoulder rapidly several times to drag my attention away from him. My eyes darted to her and I saw her staring almost dreamily off into the distance.

"Look there's Malfoy!" She squealed. I turned my head reluctantly to see him. He was across the pitch in his Slytherin quidditch uniform. I watched as he mounted his broomstick and delicately kicked off from the ground. Soon he was joined by his teammates.

"I still hate him and everything but you have to admit that he's quite attractive..." Ginny mumbled, practically drooling with a dazed shine in her brown eyes. I rolled my eyes and attempted to watch Harry and Ron again but I quickly found myself staring in Malfoy's direction. He was whizzing around on his broom now; his green quidditch robes floated backwards through the wind as his firm hands gripped the front of the broom. The ground beneath him was covered in a thick blanket of feathery snow which made him even more visible to us.

"It must be the Slytherin's turn to train for quidditch. Harry and Ron should probably get out of there unless they want to be road-kill." Mumbling I stood up and flung my arms around in an attempt to catch Harry or Ron's attention. However, I forgot that the Slytherins would also notice me. I became aware of this fact when they all stopped to wave sarcastically back at me and burst into cruel laughter. Blushing, I sat back down again and covered my face with my hands.

"Ignore them Hermione. They're brains are just too small to understand things that are _actually _funny."

I felt Ginny's soothing hand on my shoulder so I raised my head. Mustering as much pride as I could, I stood back up. I would try to summon the boys for a second time. Instantly, the Slytherins began to chortle again. At this Ginny stood up next to me and aimed her wand at Marcus Flint-captain of the Slytherin team and apparent leader of the goofing.

"Avis!" She snapped. A stream of blue birds with sharp, pointed beaks spouted from Ginny's wand and darted towards him. Panicked, his laughing faltered and he sped off on his broom, trying desperately to avoid the ruthless birds. But sure enough, they caught him. I couldn't contain my laughter at the sight of Marcus Flint with five blue birds poking out of his back. Ginny turned to beam at me and we exchanged a high five. When we turned back to face the quidditch pitch, Harry and Ron had thankfully noticed the commotion that we had caused so they had begun to fly the short distance towards us. Both of them were grinning.

To my utmost pleasure, we had returned to the common room-at last. As it was late, everyone else had gone up to their rooms. But Harry, Ron, Ginny and I hadn't had a chance to soak up the warmth from the roaring fire yet-so we were taking that opportunity now. While the boys played-and argued over-wizards chess, I was nestled into the large crimson armchair with a wonderfully thick book. Ginny however was completing her Transfiguration homework with occasional input from me. The only sound in the room was the crackling from the glorious fire and it was also the only source of light. Because of this, our surroundings were filled with a hearty orange glow of warmth and welcoming. When I reached the halfway point of my chunky book, Ginny turned to me.

"Will you tell me about Malfoy yet?" She whispered urgently as if it were the most important thing she would ever hear. I glanced worriedly at the two boys who were sat by the fire. Ron appeared deep in thought-which was a sacred sight-and Harry was grinning happily about his previous smart move.

"Calm down, they're not bothered about what we're saying. They've gotten to the competitive part of the game." She rolled her eyes with a fond grin in their direction.

"Sorry but they're always a bit...touchy with this topic. And I already told you everything I know. I was unconscious remember." Burying my face back into my book, I hoped she would leave it there. It was embarrassing for me to talk about. But she didn't return to her work. Instead she crept over to me and pulled the book down so that I couldn't hide.

"No you haven't. You told me you knew that he was in the hospital with you but if you were unconscious then how did you know that?" Her shrewd smirk stretched across her pale, freckled face.

"Madam Pomfrey told me." I placed the book back up to my face to cover my blush and stubbornly held it there.

"But Madame Pomfrey doesn't like to chat, so she wouldn't have told you that unless you brought it up. And you had just regained your consciousness. I spend a lot of time with you Hermione, I've learnt two things. One is how to tell when you're lying and two is how to mull things over until I find a perfect solution-even if it does take me longer than it would take you."

Sighing, I dropped the book onto my lap and stared at her. I have too much of an influence on her.

"Alright, I woke up and he was at my bedside." I said tightly. This sparked a surprising reaction from Ginny. She began to grin and squeal.

"What?" I hissed.

"He was at your _bedside_. So you mean he was still _there_? I thought that he would have just dumped you and swaggered off but he _stayed_."

"Why is that so exciting? He ran off as soon as I woke up and saw him. Seriously, stop it Ginny."

"The Slytherin prince takes his muggle-born enemy to the hospital ward and stays with her until she wakes up. Why is it _not _exciting? The ice king is melting Hermione!"

With my elbows resting on my knees, I let my head fall into my hands.

"Ginny, he was probably just tired from carrying me up the stairs and along the corridors so he sat down. And when he saw that I was awake, he didn't want me to think that he'd stayed with me. Calm down."

"Well if that makes you feel better then keep thinking it. Frankly I wouldn't mind if Malfoy carried _me_."

"You're unbelievable." I whispered, shaking my head. "I hope you've finished your homework because I'm going to bed. If not then you'll have to do it yourself."

Muttering goodnights to the boys, I stormed up the stairs and into my room. Arriving there I saw that all the other girls were asleep so I silently crept over to my bed and flopped down without much grace or elegance. Then I struggled to drag the curtains shut so I eventually heaved myself up and shut them in a huff. I didn't know why I was so angry. But guilt was swirling around in the pit of my stomach because of how I had spoken to Ginny.

_Draco's POV:_

Stupid Granger. Why did she have to humiliate herself like that? Did she enjoy it? Because of her idiocy, I had to endure a whole hour hearing my team talk about her instead of training for the next quidditch match. It was ridiculous. Now as I stormed through the cold, empty castle corridors I could practically feel the steam floating out of my ears. I have had enough of hearing about Hermione Granger. I have had enough of seeing Hermione Granger. I have had enough of her.

_**Thanks for reading, please review because I need to know whether I should continue this or not. I have some great things coming so please bare with me and review and stuff. **_


	4. Forbidden

**_Chapter 4-Forbidden_**

_Draco's POV:_

Glancing in the mirror at my dressed up figure, I released a slight smile. The robes that I was going to be wearing to the Yule Ball complimented me quite nicely. So it wasn't as appalling as I had previously expected. I wore plain black pants, a white shirt, a neat white bow-tie and black tuxedo-jacket-like robes. Shoving my hands into my pockets, I twirled around on one foot to examine myself from a different angle; ignoring the strip of moonlight that was flooding in through the window behind me and indicating how late I was. Ah yes. This would do perfectly. I ran a hand through my white-blonde hair to make sure that it flopped over my forehead in the way that I liked it. Suddenly the door behind me flew open.

"Draco hurry up! Pansy has just been moaning at me, telling me that you're late and she's not happy." Blaise's familiar voice reached my ears. I turned to face him with an expression of irritation. The subject of Pansy always annoyed me.

"Why didn't she tell me that herself if she's so upset about it?"

"She said that it was 'traditional' for you both to meet _there_ not here. But she also said the same thing about you being there before her so that you could 'greet her like a gentleman' or whatever."

"How is it fair that I should have to wait for her on my own just because she wants to think that I'm a gentleman? I'm not a gentleman and she's being selfish. For the love of Merlin, she shouldn't have asked me to go with her if she didn't want to put up with me." I hissed, following Blaise out of the door. I walked at a leisurely pace down the winding staircase, but Blaise on the other hand was almost running ahead of me.

"What's the matter with you?"

"Pansy made me leave my date to come and get you. And unlike _some people _I want to actually be with her." He half smiled at me.

"Alright then, you go ahead because I'm not hurrying up for _Pansy Parkinson_."

He nodded before dashing away and clambering through the secret doorway in the wall. This left me strolling alone through the empty common room. Without all of the other Slytherins stuffed in there, it seemed rather gloomy. Not at all like home. As I passed the underwater window, a lone Grindylow floated past. Turing its head, I was spotted. So it hissed and squirmed backwards whilst still keeping its gaze locked onto me. I bared my teeth back at it before smirking and opening the wall to make the doorway appear. I ducked through the gap and made my way out of the dungeons.

As I strode up the last set of stairs to reach the Great Hall, I caught sight of Pansy and winced. She was wearing a horrid, sickly green dress. The straps on her shoulders were thick and adorned with silver flowers. The dress itself swooped down to the ground to drag along the stone floor and around her waist she had tied a silver velvet belt. Her slick black hair was up in a tight bun on top of her head with a pin stuck through it. As I drew nearer to her, I saw that on the end of the pin was a snake head. Why does everything have to be based around Slytherin for her? Slytherin isn't _who _we are. It isn't our whole lives. It's just where we stay and what our basic characteristics tend to involve. Sighing, I tapped her bare shoulder gently. She whipped only her head around-as if she was expecting to instantly turn back. Pansy's face is frustrated. Her brow is creased and her thin mouth is set in a hard line. But when she sees me, her features soften. The lines crossing her forehead melt back into her skin and her mouth twitches up into a sickly sweet smile. Even though she appears pleased that I'm here, I can see the irritation twitching in her blue eyes.

"Hello Draco." Her tight smile doesn't fade as she speaks softly. I simply nod. Attending the Yule Ball with Pansy wasn't my idea of fun but she had been the first to ask me.

"They're starting soon, should we go in?" She tried, annoyance seeping into her tone. Clearly she is unhappy about my tardiness but-unlike with Blaise-she won't reveal it to me. I nod again, enjoying the feeling of making her boil with silent fury. Raising my arm to her, she loops her hand through it and we walk through the doors. I'm almost stopped in my tracks by the transformation of the hall. The whole room appears to be expertly slathered in ice as large icicles dangle from the walls and parts of the ceiling. The enchanted ceiling has been altered so that delicate snow threatens to drop onto our heads, but it stops at a certain point and ceases to exist. The bowls that each of the house statues hold-which are placed along the walls-have been filled with sparkling blue crystals. As we saunter in amazement past the hefty round tables filled with drinks and food, towards the dance floor-which resembles a gigantic ice rink-I stare at the three grand trees at the end of the hall. The one in the middle of the three is the largest and holds the most wonder. All three of them are beautifully decorated though with snow and brightly coloured ornaments. Everything appears unreal-as if it were all carved from ice. There was an unpleasant chill drifting through the air that I imagined would be replaced by body heat once the dancing commenced. But at the moment, the cold bit at my nose like a Parana fish. I spotted Blaise in amongst the crowd of grandly dressed students. Worming our way through the clump of bodies, we reached his side. For a while we stood with Blaise, Crabbe, Goyle, Millicent Bulstrode-who was Crabbe's partner-and two other girls that I didn't know the names of. One was a small, slim girl with flowing golden hair-who clung to Blaise's arm. She wore a grey dress that stopped at her knees and sparkled with tiny silver gems across her chest. The other-which stood closely to Goyle-was quite plump with medium-length chestnut brown hair. Her outfit was a black dress that ended around her ankles with a purposeful ragged edge. Pansy's grip tightened on my arm and she slunk closer to me as she greeted the girls-appearing to already know them.

"Hello Millicent. Jemima it's nice to see you. And Vicky you look lovely!" She attempted to socialise as if she was everyone's favourite person. I knew that she certainly wasn't _my_ favourite person. The tiny golden-haired girl pouted at her.

"Thank you Pansy but I've told you that I prefer to be called _Victoria_. Not Vicky." Her voice rang like tinkling bells. I suddenly realised who she was. I had heard of this girl on several occasions from Blaise. She was a third year Slytherin and had been desperately trying to lure Blaise in for months. However, it was him that had asked her to the Yule Ball because he had finally decided that he liked her. I was happy that this was the case for my friend. I certainly wasn't happy though. Pansy gave her a fake smile and turned to gab with Millicent, attempting to drag me across the group with her. But I resisted. I wasn't leaving my friends just to stand gormlessly at her side while she spoke to her friends and incorrectly displayed me as her 'boyfriend'. I hadn't even wanted to come with her. Her confused eyes landed on my face as she tried to stop her expression from twisting into frustration.

"Draco stop messing around." She faked a giggle, trying to make it look like we were a close couple after years of her begging for my attention. I shook my head.

"No Pansy, you are capable of talking to people without hauling me around on your arm. You're a big girl now so go on." A smirk lit up my face as hers flushed bright red. Crabbe, Goyle and Blaise sniggered beside me. Dramatically whipping her body around, she was about to storm off with Millicent when trumpets sounded near the doors. In response to the sudden alert she seemed to instantly forget her embarrassment and dart back next to me. Everyone around us shuffled to create a pathway leading from the grand doors to the dance floor. Crabbe and Goyle pushed and shoved their way to the front with us following closely behind. By the time we had reached the front, the double doors had opened and the champions were striding up the pathway. Viktor Krum strode in first with Hermione Granger at his side. My jaw literally dropped at the sight of her. Her usually frizzy brown hair had been tamed and was tied up at the back of her head into a large bun with dozens of complicated loops. The only parts that dangled down were curly and brushed gracefully against her almost bare shoulders. I also noticed her delicate pink earrings in the shape of flowers with a silver rim around them. Her dress was elegant, silky and pink. It was tightly fitted around her upper body but then as it went further down, it flew out in layers of frilly ruffles. Each layer was a darker shade of pink than the one before. The sleeves of the dress looked like transparent pink tissue paper. A beaming smile radiated from her face. And I never thought that I would even think it but Hermione Granger looked gloriously beautiful. As I stood there gawping at her in disbelief, I could have sworn that her brown eyes flitted to me for a second. Even if they did though, they were gone before I could react-or think to close my mouth. A sharp pain in my side dragged my gaze from Granger. Looking down I saw that Pansy's elbow had jabbed into my side. I shot her a slightly annoyed, quizzical look.

"What was that for?" I hissed in a whisper.

"It was to tell you to stop checking out the mudblood." She spat, all attempts of hiding her irritation vanished. I had splendidly ticked her off. Even though it would have caused her great infuriation for the whole night, I still denied it.

"Well apologise because I _wasn't _'checking her out' you paranoid idiot." I enjoyed insulting Pansy because she simply took it from me. It was probably because she always tried too hard to stop me from ignoring her. Biting her lip, she looked up at me.

"Sorry." The stubborn mumble was barely audible. Satisfied, I cast my eyes around again to find Granger. I had to look once more. Surely it wasn't her? I must be mistaking her for someone else. When I found her, I shook my head. There was no doubt that it was Hermione Granger.

_Hermione's POV:_

Walking along the slim pathway and into the dazzling room with my hand resting delicately on top of Viktor's while everyone's eyes were fixed on me, was possibly the worst and best moment of my life. Well maybe not of my life but it was certainly almost there. It was nice to have people looking at me with an expression other than that of loathing, annoyance or just seeming like they wanted to get away from me. Only Harry, Ron, Ginny and a select few others ever looked at me with any sort of love or kindness showing on their faces. But it was also terrifying. At the back of my mind, the thought that people would get the wrong idea gnawed away at me. They might think that Viktor and I were a couple. However, this was incorrect. We were only here to have an enjoyable time together. But I was going to attempt to ignore that thought because tonight I was going to be treated as if I was special by someone who seemed to actually care about me. A genuine smile remained plastered on my face; even when my eyes grazed over the stunned Draco Malfoy in his fancy black robes. Nothing and no-one was going to make me feel worthless tonight. Not even him.

The night had been rather pleasant so far. It had started off very formal-with a calm meal and a traditional dance. The champions, along with their partners, had been instructed to start first. So the eight of us had spread out across the dance floor as the rest of the school watched and cheered politely. Viktor hadn't been the most elegant dancer but I was a little distracted myself so I ignored that fact. I had noticed that Draco Malfoy had been watching me quite a lot, so naturally I had become extremely aware of myself. The majority of the time I had spent trying to check on different features of myself. If Malfoy was staring then it can't have been for a good reason. But after eventually finding nothing obvious, I had given up and decided that I didn't care. And now Viktor and I were dancing wildly to the rock band that the school had hired. Viktor twisted me around and around under his strong arms. We moved our feet swiftly in time to the beat as our bodies swayed and shifted around other couples. Most of the time I was laughing; not just tiny giggles but massive chortles. I was actually enjoying myself with this rather unintelligent sportsman. He grinned goofily in response to my hearty laughter. Then he took both of my hands and we pulled each other backwards and forwards so that our bodies were twisting in unison. I twirled once more away from him-my hand still latched to his-and saw that Draco was sitting down at a table watching us with a scowl. I had just enough time to see that Pansy was with him but didn't look happy either. What could be wrong with the pair of them? They'd probably had an argument considering that both of them were like ticking time-bombs and Pansy had a short fuse. Spinning wildly backwards into Viktor's arms I was pulled from my mind again and plopped back into reality. I let out another chuckle as the song ended. Viktor then released me from his grasp and instead planted a kiss on my hand.

_Draco's POV:_

I walked away from the boys' toilets and towards the staircases. I wasn't intending to return to the Yule Ball-even though it was still going to continue for another hour. Instead I was going back to the common room. I had no reason to go anywhere else. Pansy had left a while ago due to me boring her. I had sat with her to eat and danced with her when it was formal just like I should have, but as soon the rock band appeared I had sat down and didn't move all night. I wasn't about to humiliate myself in front of the entire school just because she wanted to prance about in her horrid green dress to music that wasn't even good. I was content to sit there and observe. This had quickly caused Pansy to lose her temper and storm out unannounced. I think she had intended to upset me by leaving. However, I had been delighted by her absence. As I turned through the doorway and stepped onto the staircase, I heard raised voices and stopped to stare down at the cause. What I saw surprised me. It was the 'Golden Trio' of Gryffindor arguing on the steps that lead down to the Great Hall-which was only a floor below where I was currently standing. Interested, I leant forward against the railing and listened.

"What do you mean I need to calm down? He was all over you!" Weasley bellowed in outrage, his ears a deep red colour.

"We were _dancing _Ronald! And we were hardly close to each other at all!" Granger barked back. She was standing a few steps down from Harry and Ron, glaring up at them with fury burning in her eyes. Ron was looming over her and I could clearly see that he was miserable. Harry however, appeared to be taken aback as he stood on the highest step, away from the furious pair. I chuckled to myself. Potter couldn't even face up to his own friends. What I coward.

"Well...well he's way too old for you! And you know what older boys are after Hermione!"

Granger laughed darkly in response.

"Oh sure Ronald, of course Viktor Krum is going to try and 'feel me up' in a crowded room full of teachers and students. He's a nice guy! Why can't you just accept that?"

"Fine, go back to frolicking around with Krum! I don't have time for this." Ron mumbled as he shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged up the stairs; followed by Potter.

"I would if you hadn't insulted him! Ron you've spoilt everything!" Hermione shrieked at their retreating backs, the last part of her sentence ended with a splutter as she sank onto the cold steps and began to weep softly into her knees. Seeing that the drama was over, I pushed myself off from the railing and trotted down the staircase. About halfway down I passed Potter and Weasley. Both of them glared at me as if I was the one to blame for their argument with Granger. With a slight smirk in their direction, I continued past them.

When I reached the bottom of the staircase that I had been descending, I should have turned left to go down another set of stairs that would take me to the dungeons. But at the last second, I turned right instead and walked boldly towards Granger. She didn't lift her head when I stopped next to her-although she would have heard the tapping of my footsteps come to an end beside her.

"I didn't know that mudbloods could scrub up so well." It slipped out and I wasn't sure if I meant it as a compliment or not-but however it came across; it didn't please her in the slightest. Granger's head rose slightly over her lap; enough for me to see the streams of tears that were falling down her puffy, red face.

"Just go away Malfoy." She snapped weakly, all fire gone from her tone. This wasn't like the Hermione Granger that I knew. As I watched her, I couldn't see the gutsy Gryffindor girl that had punched me in the face last year. She was just a blubbering wreck. For unknown reasons, this upset me so I sat down next to her. I watched her shoulders shake as she sobbed beside me. A horrid, sickly feeling began to squirm around in my gut. Guessing that it was guilt, I groaned inwardly. Why was I bothered? I hadn't caused her misery. But whatever the reason for my nagging guilt, I had to end it. Cautiously, I placed a tender hand on her shoulder and decided that insulting her wouldn't be the best thing to do right now.

"Granger, I meant that as a compliment." I muttered, feeling quite reluctant. Her shoulders abruptly stopped shaking. The sniffling caused by her cries also ceased. Slowly and hesitantly, she lifted her head to stare wide-eyed at me-her gaze flickering every few seconds to my hand which was still on her shoulder. I cleared my throat and self-consciously removed my hand. Incredulously, she flashed a tiny smile at me. I was taken aback by her pleasantness so I couldn't muster up anything more to say. Instead I inspected her face. It was still slightly red and puffy from the crying-although it was calming down now-and her eyes looked sore. Occasional tears still trickled down her face as a mixture of water and mascara.

"Do you want to come back into the Hall? There are tissues in there that you could use." I said with more confidence but still feeling put out by the situation. Granger nodded in return. So I stood and-giving it a few seconds thought-outstretched my hand in offer to her. Glancing worriedly between my face and hand, she eventually took it. It seemed as though we were suspiciously dodging around each other, trying desperately to detect any sudden change in behaviour that could indicate a trap. As soon as I had successfully helped her onto her feet, I released her hand and dropped my arm to my side. We walked in silence through the double doors and once we were in the hall, we sat at a deserted table at the back. I found myself glancing anxiously around the room, checking to see if anyone was watching us. But I needn't have worried. There were only a handful of students left around us and all of them were far too engrossed with what they were doing to notice us sitting silently alone. I quickly seized two drinks, one for me and one for Granger, before politely handing her a tissue. She took both from me and began to dab at her eyes.

"Thanks...Draco. I spent ages putting this make-up on and now I've gone and ruined it." She sighed, slightly aggravated.

A strange warmth spread through my stomach when she called me by my first name. It was unusual to hear the word exit her mouth.

"No you've not ruined it. It actually still looks fine." I bit down on my lip as soon as the words slipped off my tongue and sprawled into the air. I hadn't meant to say that out loud. Her surprised face amused me so I smirked quickly as an excuse to cover up my blunder. Regaining my confidence, I daringly stared directly at her and opened my mouth to speak.

"So what was Weasley shouting about?"

Her face flushed bright red.

"Oh, he's upset about me coming here with Krum." She replied, clearly embarrassed.

"And you're annoyed that he was bothered because...you like him?"

"Oh no it's not that. I don't _like _Viktor, but I just have had a very enjoyable night with him. So I thought that maybe-despite his um...flaws-we could become friends. I tried to introduce him to Harry and Ron but as you saw, Ron wasn't exactly pleased by that."

I stared dumbfounded at her.

"Wait so what's the problem?" I asked, confused as to why she couldn't have just accepted the fact that Weasley disliked Krum. It would have spared the shouting.

"Well Ron insulted him. He called him a troll with a head full of sawdust. And I admit that Viktor isn't the brightest person that you'll ever meet but Ron shouldn't have said that. So anyway, Viktor stormed off and I confronted Ron. But then he started shouting at me and telling me that I had shouldn't even be spending time with Viktor. I just felt like he was trying to control me and I lost my temper." She rambled as if I were one of her friends. Then she looked up from her drink and to see my face. That was when she remembered who I was. Her brown eyes widened.

"Sorry, I'm rambling." The blush once again spread across her face like running ink. I noticed that her features were much improved. Her face and eyes were no longer puffy or sore and the streaks of water left behind from her tears had dried. We sat in silence for a while, but it didn't really seem awkward. It was surprisingly enjoyable. After about ten minutes, the lights in the room-which were floating candles-began to dim. I was always fascinated by those enchanted candles; they could be controlled so superbly. My earlier suspicions about the temperature were proved to be correct as I felt warmth drift over me and tickle my exposed skin. A very slow song began to echo around the room. The only people that were dancing were the devoted couples. Without thinking, I whipped my head around to face Granger.

"Do you want to dance...Hermione?" I smirked at the use of her first name as it rolled off my tongue and sprang into the air. Uncertainty was smothered over her face-probably just like mine-for a second before it was replaced by astonishment as she heard her name. This caused me to grin fully at her. Slowly, she stood up and strode over to the dance floor without looking back at me. I followed her, unsure of what was happening. Surely this was forbidden between us?

When we both reached the crystal white floor, we stood opposite each other and stared; neither of us knowing what to do. I moved first, taking a step forward and grasping her hand smoothly so that she wouldn't scare suddenly. With her eyes never leaving my face, her hand fluttered to my shoulder.

"Well this is...nice." She whispered, looking discomfited. I realised that we were being too awkward. So I dove straight in, forgetting our years of hatred.

"Yes nice, but not right." At this, I positioned my hand on the correct place at her waist. Her chocolate brown eyes flitted downwards to look at my hand. For a moment, we both stood very still and she remained in a tense position. Finally she relaxed. I smirked again and began to sway in a small circle, gently guiding her with me. This was unnatural. This was wrong. This shouldn't ever happen. But it was; and I was enjoying it.

_Hermione's POV:_

Swaying in Draco Malfoy's arms was surprisingly pleasant. I didn't really understand how we had gotten here but I wasn't going to question it. His mesmerising silver eyes drew me further into him while a handsome smile lit up his face. I liked seeing his smile. It was something so rare and seemed so pure. In my opinion it complimented the rest of his features beautifully. This whole evening had made me begin to question all that I knew about Draco. Was he really as evil as everyone thought? Staring at his blissful face and feeling the warmth that radiated from his body as he held me in his strong arms caused me to think that maybe underneath, there was a golden soul; another side to him that others had yet to see. He lifted his arm above me and twirled me in a circle. My dress floated outwards around me, almost engulfing me in a wave of pink. And I felt beautiful. With Viktor, I had felt appreciated. But Draco made me feel like something more. It was probably caused by the fact that he was my tormenter; the person who constantly made my life quite miserable. But now he had me in his gentle grasp and was swaying expertly with me. And I thought I could see something gleaming in those eyes-something unknown. So as usual, my brain took over. It wanted nothing more than to find out what was going on inside his head. When I was least expecting it, he gripped my hands tighter and dipped my whole body down. In shock, I released a tiny yelp which then gained a chuckle from him. He pulled me back in suddenly and I fell against his chest, my palms resting flat against him as I stared up at his face. He had caught me readily and wrapped his arms around my back. Our faces were very close. Staring into his silver eyes-for what must have been the millionth time tonight-I thought I saw a flicker of fear in them. No doubt it reflected what was in my own eyes. We stayed frozen like that for a while; so long in fact that it was beginning to grow awkward again. That was when I noticed him looking intently at my lips. Instantly, I pushed away from him and stalked towards the door. Not once did I turn to look at him. Not even to see his reaction. How could I have been so stupid? It was _Draco Malfoy_ for Merlin's sake. I had let my guard down and allowed him to melt me with his subtle charms. But it wouldn't happen again. I reached the door and pushed hard. It swung open and I ran up the stairs towards the Gryffindor common room; a mixture of emotions swirling around in my stomach.

When I eventually reached the fat-lady portrait-the entrance to the common room-I whispered the password and clambered through the doorway. On the other side, the room was empty. The fire wasn't on so the welcoming warmth that usually greeted me wasn't there and the room seemed dark without the glow of the flames flickering across the furniture. Taking off my shoes as I walked, I made my way over to the stairs that would lead me to the girls' dormitories. There I would be able to hide under my quilt and never emerge. That was all I wanted. So when I caught the movement of a shadowy figure in the corner of my eye, part of me was startled but another part of me was simply annoyed. I wasn't in the mood for talking to anyone. The anonymous figure stood up and I could see his messy ginger hair. With a sigh I turned to hurry to my room. But Ron shot forward and grabbed my wrist.

"Hermione, what were you doing with Draco Malfoy?" His voice was barley a whisper. Biting my lip and closing my eyes, I stiffened and answered without looking at him.

"What are you talking about?"

"I came back to apologize and I saw you with him so don't try to lie to me. You shouldn't have been with him; especially not on your own!"

I whipped my head around at this. So he was going to tell me how to live my life again was he? Glaring at him, I jolted my arm backwards and freed my wrist from his firm grasp.

"Ron don't start that again. You can't tell me who I'm allowed to talk to! It's my life! And if you don't like it then stay away from me." I was about to storm off up the stairs before I thought better of it and faced him once more.

"It was your fault anyway. If you hadn't upset me and then left me there _alone_ then I wouldn't have needed his comfort." I spat. He recoiled as if I had slapped him-which I was considering.

"What do you mean his _comfort_?"

"You drove me to him Ron so stop shouting at me."

With that, I quickly spun on my heel and hurried up the steps. Everyone else in my dormitory was sound asleep. But I knew that I wouldn't sleep a wink.

**_Please review guys :)_**


	5. A Year Gone By

**_Chapter 5-A Year Gone By_**

_Hermione's POV:_

Standing at the edge of my bed, I stared absently at the bare wall while emptying the contents of my suitcase. It was just a quarter of the way through my fifth year at Hogwarts and I had already had to take a trip home-and not for good reason. I had spent much of my time there feeling numb. Now I feared that the unpleasant sensation had followed me here; sucking the life out of me wherever I went.

But now I was back at school and I had to get into the correct mind set. Throughout the whole stay with my parents, I had been thinking about Draco Malfoy-as well as being unresponsive to the wearisome world around me. Being almost a year since the Yule Ball, the memories of that perplexing night were constantly filling my head. My situation had also added to the pile of reasons for thinking about that blonde Slytherin boy. Almost every night, I had curled up in bed thinking about how he would treat muggles if he knew. Almost every morning I had ate my breakfast with my parents, watching them as I wondered what he would think of them if he knew. His sudden change of character on that one evening had altered my perspective of him. I desperately longed for there to be some good in him-but that was just to end the constant torment that he had directed towards me over the years. There was probably nothing different or secret about him. We also hadn't spoken since the Yule Ball. The only contact that we had had was when he occasionally bullied Harry, Ron and I. But during these incidents, his snide comments had been largely directed at Harry and Ron instead of me. For this I was grateful.

My hands froze in the middle of removing a t-shirt from my suitcase, clutching firmly at the material as if I needed it to survive.

"Stop it Hermione..." I mumbled to myself, attempting to throw the thoughts of Malfoy from my mind. Shaking my head, I continued rearranging my few possessions. It was O.W.L year and I had to stay focused on that-not on whether or not Malfoy was a secret softy.

All of a sudden, the door to my dormitory flew open and Ginny stumbled in. A beaming smile lit up her face as she hurriedly crossed the room towards me. Forgetting to drop the jacket I was holding, I opened my arms and briefly hugged her with it still in my grasp.

"Hermione are you alright? Why did you go home?" She questioned, releasing me from her quick embrace but holding me at arm's length with a worried expression. I shook my head.

"I'll tell you later."

I wasn't ready to tell anyone-besides Harry and Ron who already knew. Examining my reluctant expression, she nodded in understanding and dropped her arms back to her sides. Then her gaze fell on the jacket in my hands.

"Hermione, why aren't you using magic to put that away?"

Glancing down at my hands, I opened my mouth to say something. But then shut it again as my mind gave me nothing to say; no helpful words of description. I turned and walked towards the trunk at the end of my bed. Then placing the jacket inside it, I rapidly thought of a simple reply.

"I suppose I've just gotten into the routine of doing it the muggle way; because I was at home for so long." I mumbled, not looking at Ginny as I hurried past her to pick up another item of clothing. She sat down and watched me suspiciously.

"You were only there for a week." Ginny stated, knowing that my excuse had been false. With a sigh I shut the lid of my trunk and leant over it.

"I'm just distracted."

"What in the name of Merlin are _you _distracted by? It's your O.W.L year and you're Hermione Granger."

"It's nothing."

She stayed silent while I tucked my suitcase underneath my bed, watching me with cautious eyes. But as I finally began to relax again, she opened her mouth-scratching my last tender nerve.

"Come on just tell me. Is it about the reason for your trip home? What is it?"

"Ginny just shut up and drop it!" I snapped. Her brown eyes widened as she winced. Guilt began to creep into my stomach so I stormed out of the door and down the winding staircase. The candles flickered as I swept past them and my shadow danced along the stone walls.

When I reached the bottom of the staircase and entered the main section of the common room, I scanned my eyes over the area. The room was almost empty. A handful of students were spread out on the floor-helping each other with homework- and there was a small group of people gathered around a game of exploding snap at the table in the corner. Another huddle of Gryffindors scurried past me on their way up to the dormitories. At last my eyes fell on Harry and Ron. They were perched on the couch in front of the fire, absently watching the flames lick at the wood. With a smile finding its way onto my lips, I headed towards them. Harry was the first to notice me as his head snapped around at the sound of me moving behind him. Jumping up, he smiled weakly back at me and pulled me in for a gentle hug. I was grateful for the contact from someone that I was so close to. Ginny was a dear friend to me but she didn't understand what I was going through right now. Also she had annoyed me. I latched my arms around Harry's neck and nestled my head into his shoulder as he rubbed my back in soothing circles.

"Are you alright Mione?" He whispered into my ear. I nodded slightly and muttered 'mm-hmm' in return. We both knew that I wasn't ok at all. But it was the only thing that he could say at the moment. Harry released me and examined my face instead.

"You look tired." He declared, frowning deeply.

"I haven't been sleeping very well." I admitted quietly. Harry nodded in understanding. It was perfectly normal that I had been having trouble sleeping considering everything that had been on my mind.

Looking at Harry, I took some time to readjust to the changes that he had gone through over the summer-I hadn't had much time to get used to them before I had been sent home. He was taller for one thing, much lankier than he had been over the summer. And his hair was much shorter considering that he had allowed it to grow wildly the previous year. All of the child-like roundness to his face had completely disappeared, making him seem a lot older. I smiled lovingly at him again and he, slightly confused, returned it. Then noticing that Ron had been standing slightly behind us the whole time, I stepped around Harry and walked towards him. Ron and I had never hugged a lot-mostly due to the fact that Ron wasn't a 'hugger'-but he hesitantly held open his arms for me. An awkward smile reached his lips as I stepped into his hug. He briefly wrapped his long, pale arms around my torso and allowed me to pat his back before he removed himself and took a slight step backwards.

"It's nice to have you back Hermione." He grinned, a great deal more comfortable now that we weren't having contact. Ron was much taller and his hair-alike to Harry's-had been cut shorter. His shoulders had also filled out a bit more.

"I've missed you both." I agreed. The pair of them drifted back onto the couch so I followed and dropped down in between them both.

"So umm...how are your parents?" Harry asked delicately. I glanced at him before dropping my gaze to the crackling fire in front of us.

"They're...better."

We all remained silent for a while then, unsure of how to move on. I felt sorry for them both, having to dodge around my sensitive topic in fear of upsetting me.

As the hours ticked by, the chatting remained light and they managed to not create any awkward or distressing discussions about my problem; which I was tremendously grateful for. I had yearned for one of these simple conversations ever since I had returned home. And I despised myself for it. It was so selfish. However, I continued to distract myself by greedily absorbing the cheerful atmosphere instead of allowing my demons to torture me with the truth. I didn't deserve my friends.

**_I'm sorry it's short but I wasn't feeling motivated because_**somebody's **_not reviewing. :/_**

**_I was also busy packing because I'm going on holiday in a day so there also won't be any updates for maybe over a week. Please review and tell me what you think. Whenever I see people viewing but not REviewing, it automatically makes me think that you find it crappy and then I don't really want to continue writing it so yeah please just review. Even if it's just one simple word. It seriously doesn't take more than one word and 5 seconds. Of summer. (If you get that then you're my friend.) _**


	6. Reluctantly Reunited

**_Chapter 6-Reluctantly Reunited_**

_Hermione's POV:_

Desperately clinging to my books, I bounded hastily down the uneven stone steps towards Hagrid's hut. My breathing came heavy and ragged due to my concern for being late to Care of Magical Creatures. This wasn't good. It was only my first day back to lessons and I was running dangerously late. Terrifying thoughts and images began to pile up inside my mind. Hagrid's deeply disappointed expression, shock mixed with curiosity lingering in the wide eyes of my classmates, the sympathetic but annoying glances from Harry and Ron. I hated being the centre of attention when the motives for it were simply gossip. But more so I loathed receiving kind words of consideration from almost strangers; especially when it wasn't me who needed it. It was my parents.

Preoccupied with the worries that were gathering in my head like children to ice cream, I forgot to focus on carefully landing my feet onto the riskily steep and jagged cobbled steps. My right foot fell on an awkward angle as my toes desperately tried to hug the sharp edge of the step. But my ankle twisted to the side, causing me to tumble down when my balance un-expectantly failed. I fell sideways-towards the vertical grassy hill in which the cobbled steps had been laid. On my speedy decent down, I managed to keep a firm grip on my books in one hand while the other darted out to prevent me from smacking my face into the spiky grass below. The impact injured my elbow, making it feel like the bones inside were snapping under the tremendous sudden weight. When I was on the ground, I almost swayed too far over into a roll before I remembered to dig my free hand and feet firmly into the soft ground to steady myself. I stared shakily at the mushy earth while I waited for my muscles to work again. Then as I finally sat upright in shock, I wearily cast my nervous brown eyes around me. But no one had seen the mortifyingly humiliating endeavour. With a deeply relieved sigh, I clambered back onto my feet and glanced down to examine myself. To add to my already horrid morning appearance, I was sporting a ghostly white scrape to the knee, a thick mud stain on my now crumpled skirt and the palm of my hand began to sting like tiny ice needles due to the cuts and dents there. Flustered, I made an attempt at wiping away the disgusting brown mark before I went into public; the entire time I was all too aware of my tardiness. I felt the tears prickling at my eyes as if tiny people were jabbing at the back of the white orbs with painfully pointy sticks. A few drops of clear liquid escaped and began to trickle down my soft cheeks; excitingly sprinting to achieve freedom. Hurriedly dragging my hand across the surface of skin underneath my eyes, I let out a tiny whimper. I wasn't supposed to be like this. I was Hermione Jean Granger, Gryffindor witch and had been to hell and back during my four short years at Hogwarts. So how was it that an idiotic muggle obstacle had degraded me to this weak, emotional wreck; constantly blubbering at the slightest provocation?

But in reality it wasn't an idiotic obstacle. That would indicate that if I put my best efforts into it, then I could overcome it. But that wasn't possible.

As my eyes scanned the trees ahead of me, I saw that Hagrid had yet to join the small group of students that formed his class. This calmed me slightly but my pride was still injured. I had never been late before. So I composed myself, only the pale ghost of tears visible, and jogged down the remaining steps.

As I reached the end of the steps and joined the group, every pair of eyes fell to rest on me. Most held shock and others held concern. A sudden wave of anxiety washed over me and caused my chest to tighten. My hands grasped tensely at my books and I subconsciously clenched my jaw. I became far too aware of the deep bags under my eyes. Also my frizzy hair-which had been impossible to tame this morning after a delayed wake up-felt heavier and thicker on my head; reminding me that it was there to embarrass me. Because of my situation at home, I had found comfort in being secluded when I returned to school. For this reason, not many people knew of my return. Surely they would be buzzing with questions; prepared to compromise my sanity and emotions in exchange for gossip. Although Harry and Ron had hurried over to stand by my side, I still felt vulnerable under their sceptical stares. But I felt even worse when Malfoy sauntered forward and opened his arrogant mouth; his minions following eagerly behind him with stupid grins plastering their faces. I watched him with weary eyes and a thick feeling of doom layered in my stomach. He was taller than I remembered with thicker arms and shoulders. His blonde hair swept forward to almost cover his eyes. And his facial features were much more refined.

"Where've you been Granger? Skipping classes is very unlike you; doesn't it go against your teacher's pet religion?" He raised a thin, blonde eyebrow and smirked. Jabbing my chin upwards, I tried to muster up some courage while I hitched my collection of books higher in my arms and straightened my posture.

"It's none of your business Malfoy." I stated simply as I tried to avoid an argument, my eyes never leaving his face. I knew that I dreadfully wanted to see a shred of evidence to prove that he was more like the person I had seen at the Yule Ball than this egotistical prat; even though deep in my core I knew that this was all he was. It was programmed into every corner of my brain. It haunted every aspect of his unnaturally pale features.

"That's a bit unfair." He pouted mockingly. "Not feeling very friendly today?"

"It may not seem that way to you, just because you're a spoilt brat and daddy gives you everything you sob for. Well I'm not your father so I won't be succumbing to your childish demands. " I spat. Then I saw a flicker of anger in his grey eyes which indicated that I had struck a nerve. But his thin mouth remained tightly shut. All eyes belonging to the observing class widened and turned to watch Malfoy. He stayed silent.

Thinking that he had nothing more to insult me with, I made to walk away with Harry and Ron following close by my side. I felt rather pleased with the turn out of that situation.

"We all thought that you had been kicked out of school Granger. People were saying Umbridge had discovered that you stole your magic from a _real _ you being a mudblood, it seemed to be the obvious answer." Malfoy purred viciously behind me. Clearly any pleasantries that had scurried to his surface on the night of the Yule Ball had vanished, leaving him bitter and rude towards me once again.

That hurt. Of course it did. But I intended to continue forward and ignore him, maintaining my pride. After all, I had always been the mature one. Ron however seemed to have a different idea. A throaty growl bubbled in his throat as he dropped his books-allowing them to plummet to the floor to be abandoned-and lunged at Malfoy; appearing to forget his wand. Whipping around at the sound of danger, my wild frizzy hair flung around my face and shrouded my vision. As soon as I swiped it away with an irritated hand, I saw what was happening.

Without a moment's hesitation, I equally dropped my books and my hands shot out to grab Ron's robes. We didn't need a fight. Harry was much slower than I was but he eventually took a fistful of Ron's robes and pulled.

"Ronald, stop it. Stop it now!" I demanded, hoping to subdue him. It had no effect. Malfoy puffed out his chest as he watched, seeing that mine and Harry's grips were slackening. The small crowd gawped as Ron's smooth black robes slipped through my fingers like silk, leaving Harry to stumble forward as Ron charged again. His anger rolled off him in waves; crashing murderously around inside his head before spilling out of his ears after finally riling him up. My raven-haired friend had no choice but to release Ron-otherwise he would have ended up with his face pressed into the thick mud beneath him. A surprised Malfoy at first staggered backwards trying to get away from the red-head's flying fists and grabbing claws. But once he had gathered his wits, his arm shot out to punch Ron in the face as he neared. This caused Ron to stumble back whilst cupping his palm around his left cheek. A slight cry escaped my gaping mouth as I watched. Malfoy, taking his advantage, pounced on Ron while he was nursing his attacked face. Snaking an arm around Ron's head, Draco chuckled darkly and pulled. The blonde Slytherin had him trapped in a head-lock and Ron began to tug pointlessly at the stronger boys arm. They almost fell to the floor in their struggle. I rapidly pulled out my wand and pointed it at the pair, focusing my aim on Draco.

"Malfoy!" I screeched. "Let him go now!"

The blonde was taken aback as his gaze shot up to my face. There was a slight glimmer in his silvery eyes as he-almost nervously-watched my steady wand.

We stared each other down for a while-his grip never softening and my wand never faltering-before I saw a large shadow creep over me. The other students all took an innocent step back as they glanced up at the shape behind me. I sighed deeply, realising what was happening, and reluctantly lowered my wand. I didn't turn around to see the disappointed face of my teacher and dear friend-Hagrid. This was the face that had haunted me from behind my eyelids this morning as I had raced to class. I had managed to mostly repel the image then so I wasn't about to look willingly upon it now. On the other hand, Malfoy and Ron were directly facing him and they instantly separated. Ron stared at the ground, his face burning a bright scarlet, while Draco held his head high; almost challenging Hagrid. I heard a deep sigh of sadness come from him and I gnawed at my lower lip.

"You three, detention for fighting." He mumbled miserably. I didn't need to see his face to feel the pain. It hit me like a stunning spell in the chest as soon as his tone registered in my brain.

I glared at Malfoy, willing him to burst into flames and shrivel up into a thick pile of black ash right before my aggravated eyes. But of course, he did not. He did however glance up to acknowledge me as I stared angrily at his pale, refined features. His storm grey eyes were cold and held nothing. It began to make me feel uncomfortable so I found myself wanting to break the contact. I clenched my jaw and sucked in a lengthy breath to display my determination. But as his intimidation eventually over-powered my pride, my gaze fell to rest on the floor; defeated. _Stupid, egotistical, bitter, relentless, rude prat._

_Draco's POV:_

Rushing into the warm Slytherin common room, I didn't stop to offer anyone a greeting. Not even Blaise Zabini. The room was full of people chattering loudly in huddles; sprawled across the carpeted floor and the luxurious couches. The normally glowing fire wasn't on so the only light in the large room was coming from a collection on dim candles that were dotted around on tables and shelves. The moonlight from the dark sky outside dove deep into the lake and came streaming in through the window, reflecting an eerie turquoise glow around the room. Each of these things I made an effort to ignore. But they flashed before my eyes as I heatedly hurried towards the spiral stairs that would lead me to my dormitory. A few worried glances were cast my way, but no one made an effort to physically come to my aid. I was fine with this because I was in no mood for social interaction right now.

When I reached the top of the stairs, I stormed forward and threw open the door to my dorm. I froze in my tracks when I found Crabbe and Goyle perched on Goyle's bed noisily munching on stolen treats, my jaw clenched and my eyes twitching with irritation. They also froze to stare back at me; Crabbe with a slice of cake stuffed in his motionless mouth and Goyle hesitantly chewing on a liquorice wand. I stuck my arm out behind me and placed my palm flat against the door to prevent it from closing after me.

"Get out."

They continued to stare questioningly at me for a while before Crabbe opened his mouth to speak.

"But Dra-"

"GET OUT!" I roared, my stormy eyes practically bulging out of the sockets as I tried to avoid looking at the disgusting mashed up cake that had become visible upon the opening of his lips. Both of them leapt up, food in their grubby hands, and left swiftly.

As soon as they were absent from the room, I slammed the door hard. My palm still rested on the upper section of it with my fingers splayed as I brought my other hand up to massage the bridge of my nose. It was that _stupid_ mudblood Granger. I had only tried to find out where she had been when the fight erupted this morning. But she had started to take snide hits; pounding my brain with her annoyingly sardonic voice and insulting my pride.

The memories flashed behind my eyelids and I lurched myself furiously off the door towards my bed and threw my clenched fist at the wall. The impact of the icy smooth wall against my tender pale skin shot electricity up my arm as the bones inside rattled around. My knuckles throbbed with aching pain but I continued to press my hand against the hard surface. Then leaning my forehead on the wall above my hand, I let out a deep groan. There was just something about Granger that made my blood boil but at the same time made me desire more arguing. Whenever I saw her, it became instinct to hurl insults at her until we finished with a brawl.

_**Sorry I've taken so long in getting this up but I was on holiday. I'm back now though obviously x) Thanks to the people who reviewed! x **_


	7. Breakdown

**_Sorry that this took so long to get up, when I originally posted it there must have been a glitch because it just reposted chapter 6 and I hadn't noticed-sorry! Thanks to EbonyIvory to pointing out this error to me :) So here's the real chapter 7_**

**_Chapter 7-Breakdowns_**

_Draco's POV:_

Slouching absently in my chair, I stared down at the ancient wooden desk and drummed my fingers harshly against it; the dull thudding noise echoed around the large empty room. The library was almost deserted today. A cluster of Ravenclaw students were studying casually on the long middle table. There was also a small group of Hufflepuffs trying desperately to contain their giggles as Madame Pince glared heatedly in their direction. And in the corner-towards the back of the dimly lit library-sat Granger and her two idiot pets, Potter and Weasley. I had been ignoring their presence for around half an hour now. Apart from them, only the books filled the room. Beams of sunlight crawled in through the windows from outdoors and thick dust swirled around in the room, clustering up my nose. The eerie silence swarmed around us, cloaking us, only being broken by the rhythmic tapping of my fingers.

"Will you s_top _that?!" Blaise hissed under his breath. I glanced up at him to see that he had lifted his head slightly and was staring up at me with seemingly irritated brown eyes. He sat across from me at the aging table; his hand paused over the paper as he watched me and his fingers clutching tightly around his quill in frustration. I could see the slight bumps to his hands where his bones protruded due to the pressure he applied to holding the quill. With a shrug, I leant back into my chair, removing my fidgeting hands from the surface of the table. I wasn't looking at him anymore but I heard the scratching of his quill against the piece of parchment when he returned to his work.

Bored, I pushed myself forward again to rest my elbow on the table and my chin on my hand. Then I released a sigh. At this, the quiet scraping of Blaise's quill halted for a moment. I thought that he was going to scold me again so I gave him a fleeting glance. But he was staring determinedly down at his work, his jaw clenched. Choosing to ignore Blaise, I watched the fluffy clouds roll along the sky as I stared out of the window. It was a circular window and placed high on the stoned wall. Because of this, I could barely see anything other than the sky and the tops of the castle walls. But soon enough, the clouds drifted from my thoughts just like they drifted through the sky and my mind was preoccupied by shifting through other things. Much more pressing matters. By now, most of the students would have gotten over Cedric's death at the end of the last summer-or at least the people that never knew him would have. It was true that I wasn't friendly with Diggory at all during his years at Hogwarts-so that should have been me. I was supposed to have recovered from the instant shock of his tragic death. I acted as if it was that way. But in truth it wasn't. His pale face still haunted me from behind my eyelids. His cold, hollow stare still bore holes into me when I closed my eyes. I had only glimpsed his lifeless body for a second when Potter had brought him back but it was enough to burn it into my memory forever.

In that moment I had had an epiphany. I had known that Voldemort would be returning before that night. But seeing the proof of his rising had made it all too real for me. Before then it had been something rather insignificant at the back of my mind. I hadn't had to face it. Now I did. Throughout the entire summer, I watched my father scramble-almost in fear-around the house. His every move took planning and thought. My whole family was on edge. Returning home for the holidays would be unpleasant. Since my realisation about the depth and shear danger of Voldemort, I yearned to stay away from it. It would have helped if I began searching for a way out of this chaos but I was too afraid. And it was too risky. So I had to just except that my peaceful lifestyle would be smashed to pieces soon enough. It shouldn't bother me. Everything is made to be broken.

I knew that my father expected me to discard my soul-like he had. He wanted me to become numb. He wanted my body to become nothing but an empty shell with my mind and emotions lost in the chasm.

Agitation crashed over me in a sudden thick wave, making me shudder. I began tapping my index finger nervously against my chin.

"Seriously?" Blaise spat. "Can't you keep still or quiet for five fucking minutes?"

I looked at him then. His brow was wrinkled with stress and his mouth was set into a hard line. Raising an eyebrow, I let out a light chuckle.

"Why are you so irritable today?"

"Because I already don't think that I'm going to be able to get this essay finished in time and you're distracting me _constantly_. Snape will murder me if I don't give it to him in time." He began gnawing his bottom lip.

"It's not my fault that I'm so attractive. Just don't look at me and the distractions will probably stop." I smirked as I sat back against my chair again. He rolled his eyes lazily and continued writing.

"You don't have to stay here."

"You asked me to come with you!" I exclaimed, almost outraged that I had wasted half an hour in this library for no particular reason. Then I heard Madame Pince shush me harshly from across the room. Ignoring her, I watched Blaise. He stopped writing to look at me again. His expression seemed tired-or fed up.

"I thought you were going to _help _me to do this essay. But all you've done in fidget." He said flatly. "So if you want to, just leave."

Deciding that there wasn't anything else to do without Blaise anyway, I crossed my arms over my chest and sat back. He returned to his writing, barely even acknowledging my remaining presence.

Casting my gaze carelessly around the room, I stopped on the Gryffindor trio. A candle flickered dimly above their heads as they sat. Potter and Weasley were watching Granger intently-almost worriedly. Remotely interested, I twisted in my chair to get a better view of them whilst remaining subtle.

Even though the two idiot Gryffindor boys weren't doing any work, Granger's eyes didn't once leave the book in front of her; which was unusual. From the select few times that I had been in here at the same time as the three Gryffindors, I had noticed that Granger wasn't one to let Potter and Weasley slack off. Surely she would start shouting at them soon? But as I continued to watch, she did nothing.

After ten more minutes, I had almost completely lost interest when finally something happened. Weasley opened his mouth and said something to Granger-I couldn't decipher it from this distance but she appeared to be quite upset by it. Slamming her book shut so that dust swirled up from the table and the few heads in the room turned to her, she shot the pair of bewildered Gryffindor boys a scowl and jumped up. She grabbed her bag and roughly stuffed stray pieces of parchment into it before spinning to place the thick leather bound book onto the bookshelf behind her and storming towards the exit. Potter and Weasley swivelled in their chairs to watch her retreat with stunned expressions. I had to hide my smirk by lowering my head and looking at Granger from underneath my hair as she neared me. But as she swept past, I noticed that her slim hands were desperately pawing at the skin under her eyes and swiping sideways. Was she crying?

Curiosity overtook me. Rising as casually as I could from my seat, I lifted my bag onto my shoulder. Blaise's eyes darted up to me for a second before they returned to the parchment to watch his hand race across it as he wrote.

"Are you leaving then?" He asked nonchalantly, still whizzing his quill around to write.

"Yeah, I'm too bored in here and sick of your whining."

"Pity, it seemed like you were just starting to settle down." A tiny grin crept up his face. "You're so typical; stay in here to wind me up and then leave when I'm getting used to it."

I forgot to acknowledge what he had said with a reply because I was too busy staring at the doorway of the library, hoping that Granger hadn't gone too far to follow by now. She was behaving stranger than usual and I had to admit that even I wanted to unravel this mystery. It wasn't like her to cry this much-at least not in public and definitely not around me. Hitching my bag further up my shoulder and resting it there securely, I stalked towards to door. My quick footsteps bounced off the stone walls and echoed around the room as I left-acting as a signal to tell people that I had been there.

I didn't hesitate as I stepped into the corridor; she could have only gone right-as there was nothing but a brick wall to the left-so I immediately turned in that direction and walked briskly forward. Soon enough my eyes found her and locked on as I made my way further down the corridor behind her. I didn't know what I was hoping to achieve by following her but hopefully I would gain an answer or two. I almost missed it when she turned briskly to her left and walked through a set of double doors. But my gaze caught her bushy curls flying behind her just in time. Quickening my pace-so I didn't lose track of her-I slipped through the doorway after her and into the next corridor.

Stepping through the doorway, I almost had to shield my eyes from the light that was pouring in through the many windows along the corridor. It had been far too dark inside the library and my eyes needed to adjust. After blinking a few times, I searched my surroundings for Granger. The hallway was empty but I could hear the gentle tapping of feet against stone that probably belonged to Granger. I eventually spotted her to my right, heading into the charms classroom. I couldn't follow her in there-it would be too obvious. Spinning on my foot, I looked desperately up and down the hallway. I needed to find a place to wait for her without arousing suspicion. It only took a second for my eyes to land on it. The perfect spot. With a grin, I walked rapidly towards it.

_Hermione's POV:_

Hurrying out of the Charms classroom and away from Professor Flitwick calmed me slightly. After dropping off my extracurricular essay with him, I knew that now I could let my tears fall freely. I would try to safely reach my dormitory before the real floods began-if not then I would have to find a quiet corner in the hallway and settle down for some sobbing. Either way it was going to happen so I why not let it start now? I kept my hands firmly by my sides and allowed the salty liquid to stream from my eyes as I tried to scurry down the corridor. This was Harry and Ron's fault. They had once again been pushing me to talk about my issues. Why couldn't they understand that it hurt to do that? From the moment that I had returned to school-over a week ago-I had been determined to remain focused on my schoolwork. It may have seemed stupid to some people that I had been attempting to force the problem into the back of my mind but that was how I wanted it; as far away from my consciousness as possible. Hogwarts was my happy place. This was where I was supposed to be safe and I wasn't going to let anything invade that peace. So I had worked hard on burying my troubles deep within me. Unfortunately, Harry and Ron thought that this wasn't at all a brilliant idea. But instead of calmly trying to persuade me to talk to them about it, they were diving in head first and asking me questions-forcing me to think about it when I didn't want to.

I was so wrapped up in my head that I didn't know how to react when a pair of strong hands seized me by the waist and pulled me backwards. So I stupidly did nothing.

I didn't even think to wipe my eyes dry so when I was engulfed by darkness my face was still soaked with the clear liquid of my silent sobs. The only slither of light that was in the space surrounding me was suddenly cut off as the thud of a closing door echoed in my ears. My eyes were completely unadjusted and I began to panic. My chest tightened and my breathing came in rasping gasps. The hands that had dragged me in here were no longer placed on my waist but I could feel the presence of someone stood behind me. I felt violated as their breath lightly crawled along the back of my head, bringing me back into my mind and enabling me to react. I leapt forward with my arms outstretched and whacked my palms against a wall. Spinning on my heel to face my kidnapper, I trailed my hands along the walls that were beside me. I soon discovered that I was in a very enclosed space and there was no visible way out at the moment. I was trapped. I continued to weep as I stared into the sinister darkness in front of me, my eyes desperately scanning for the signs of another person. A sniffle escaped me as I cried in the dark.

"Are you _crying _Granger? Actually _crying_?" His snide voice cut through my sobs like a knife. "I knew that I could be scary but I didn't think that I would make you cry."

_Draco's POV:_

Chuckling to myself, I raised my wand and muttered 'Lumos' to light up the small cupboard that I had yanked her in to. An orb of light encircled the tip of my wand and allowed me to examine my surroundings. The cupboard was windowless and filled with assorted mops and brooms. The shelves above my head held nothing but thick layers of dust and cobwebs. I stared at Granger as a smirk spread across my face. With the ghostly white beams illuminating her face, I saw the extent of her sorrow. Instantly, the smirk fell into a shocked frown as if my lips had literally dropped off my face.

Her face was set in a scowl but raw emotion lingered in her features, the effects of the cruel torment rising to the surface after probably days of hiding it after it appeared to have chewed away at her. A thin blotchy line trailed down her cheeks from each brown eye and tears still glided downwards. The look in her distant gaze was haunting; beautifully broken and reminiscent of a corpse's empty stare. Just like Diggory's had been. Her bottom lip quivered slightly as she stared back at me. I had never seen her like this. Even at the Yule Ball she had been more contained. I gaped into her seemingly dead eyes and saw through them like doors. The very core of her seemed drained of all emotion because she was displaying it on her outside; allowing it to leak out of her to be disposed of before she became a hard shell once again. But on the inside she was already numb. I could tell. It was the look that my mother had worn since the day Voldemort had returned. I watched her as she eyed the door behind me-I was securely blocking the path to make sure that I was completely in control of the situation.

"Granger what are you doing?" I muttered, for once unsure of what I should say.

"What am _I _doing?" She spat. "_You're _the one that kidnapped me and dragged me into a broom cupboard! Why in the name of Merlin was this necessary?"

Granger's voice was strained and shaky-apparently still trying to fight off the tears. I set my hard gaze on her.

"Why are you trying to stop crying? I've already seen that you are so there's no point in hiding it."

She scowled as her gaze dropped to the floor.

"We both know why. If I just allow myself to cry in front of you, then as soon as we get out of here you'll run off to your gullible friends and tell them all about how I 'sobbed uncontrollably' and then you'll make up some idiotic story about how it was 'the fear that you caused in me that made me start crying in the first place.' I'm not a simpleton Malfoy."

I forced out a shrill laugh, the glowing orb of light from my wand bobbed as my hand shook with the action.

"Do you really think I'll be telling anyone that I was in a broom cupboard with _you_? I have a reputation you know." I continued to smirk down at her, although the action didn't feel right considering that tears were still trailing down her glistening cheeks.

"Then why are you in here in the first place?" Granger almost groaned as she threw her hands upwards and glared at me. Shock stole my face but I quickly covered it with a nonchalant expression as I pretended to examine my wand. I couldn't quite understand why I was here myself. Continuing to twirl my wand between my fingers with my eyes fixed upon it, I was aware of Granger still glaring at me. Finally I lowered my wand slightly and rested my eyes back on her.

"What Granger?"

"Either tell me why you pulled me in here or move so I can get out." Her voice seemed steadier now but that didn't stop the tears from escaping; it was almost as if they couldn't stop. Now that they had tasted freedom they couldn't get enough. I rolled my eyes lazily at her.

"I just wanted to find out why in the name of Merlin you've been acting so..._odd_." I sneered without my full force as I watched her sharp intake of breath. Granger's eyes widened for a split second before they narrowed into slits and she stared fiercely at me in the dark. The menacing shadows sprawled across her face as I lowered my wand to hide my admittedly worried expression.

"You mean to tell me that after all these years of tormenting me; you're _concerned about my behaviour_? What has it got to do with you anyway?"

I raised both of my thin blonde eyebrows into arcs on my forehead.

"Well I thought that something is definitely wrong when the nerd starts to emotionally break down in public all the time. I want to know if the rest of us should be worried. Is it some kind of disease? I hope it's not catching." Smirking, I watched her-waiting for her to grow tired of arguing and try to push past me. She did not. Granger had flinched once during my comments but she hadn't reacted any other way.

"So what the hell is wrong with you Granger?" I pressed.

"It's none of your business." She said flatly.

"Yeah but I'm curious and you have no way to get out."

"You wouldn't understand."

"What wouldn't I understand? I'm a smart guy."

She released a faint chuckle at this, shaking her head and looking down.

"That's highly debatable." Her tone had lost any false friendliness that had been present in her chuckle. Now she was being frosty again.

"You're trying to divert the conversation." I observed with a suspicious look at her.

"So what if I am?"

I could sense a challenge in that which only encouraged me. Straightening my posture, I puffed out my chest and peered down at her.

"Well it's made me even more interested to be honest. Now tell me." I slowly leant down so that I was now at eye level with her. Brown met grey. Her aggravated breaths hurtled towards my face and burst across my skin but I remained where I was.

"I said that you wouldn't understand!"

"And I don't care!" I shouted back. Our voices echoed faintly around the small stone room. She was no longer crying but her slim hands trembled by her sides and her eyes seemed to hold a murderous glint as she watched me. I drew back from her, suddenly too aware of our close proximity, and massaged my temple with my pale hand.

"For Salazar's sake Granger, will you just tell me what is going on with you so that we can both go back to our lives?"

Thinking that she wouldn't tell me, I rested my body against the door and stared up at the low ceiling. Why did I even do this? She caused more trouble than she was worth.

"My mum has a muggle disease." I heard her mutter softly. Surprised, my gaze darted down to rest on her again. The usually fiery Gryffindor was slouching and her eyes appeared broken-as if the flood gates were ready to open once more. With an inward groan, I pushed myself forward off the door. If she cried again then I would probably scream.

"That's not surprising; she _is _a muggle. Didn't you know that muggles tend to get muggle diseases? What does she have?" I slurred irritably. She was stirring all of this trouble over something as insignificant as a cold? And a _muggle _with a cold at that. I watched her, permitting the boredom to blatantly splash across my face as I waited to make an exit.

Granger seemed almost reluctant yet again. Gnawing on her lip, she glanced up at me.

"Cancer. She has cancer." Her tone was unsure; almost as if she wasn't certain that she had pronounced it right. My heart almost stopped as I heard that word. I didn't know many muggle illnesses but I knew about that one. It was one of the worst. Without allowing myself any proper thoughts, I instantly felt almost sorry for Granger. She observed me closely as I turned over this situation in my head. I must've forgotten to cover my expressions because she seemed to register the slight grief that I felt for her.

"You know about it? I didn't think you would have."

I understood now that her uncertain tone earlier was because she didn't think that the words would mean much to me at all.

"Of course I know of it. I took muggle studies." It came out harsher than I meant it to, biting through the almost relaxed air and turning it into frosty tension for the thousandth time. She recoiled slightly at my lack of sympathy, her bushy hair bouncing.

"So...was that everything Malfoy? Are you satisfied now?" Granger spat. Her soft interior had retreated after appearing at the false sense of security only to be replaced by her tough shell again. Shields back up and posture straight with pride, Granger stared me down-willing me to say more. Instead, I nodded curtly once before whipping around and wrenching open the door. Then I strode down the corridor, longing to get far away from Granger.

_Hermione's POV:_

As soon as the heavy door clicked shut and he had vanished, I dropped my tough facade. He had simply swept from the room. Nothing remained with me to suggest that he was ever here. It was too silent. Everything is always broken up by silence; punctuated by it. Silence is nothing, but it's everything, because we hunt for words in silence. We think in silence. Our minds work hard in silence. And yet it's awful. It's empty. It's lonely. Necessary nothingness. With a dazed expression, I slid down the cold wall and dropped to the floor. Then I dragged my knees up to my face to rest my chin on them. I was shaking but no sobs began having used them all up before-in front of Draco Malfoy. I groaned as the realisation sunk in. I had cried in front of him; basically had a mental breakdown while he watched.

My hand slid down to my pocket automatically as I yearned for light, searching for something-my wand. I could have used that to get past him and I would have escaped without him learning a single thing about my mother. I hadn't wanted him to know. But the irrational part of me had deemed it interesting to find out how he would react. So in an idle moment of vulnerability, it had blurted out. Now I felt nothing but contempt for my supposedly smart self. Slipping a hand into my pocket, my fingers clasped around the soothingly familiar shape of my wand. I pulled it out to mutter 'Lumos' just as he had done earlier. Then I proceeded to twirl it around in between my thumb and index finger, admiring the leafy patterns that adorned it. The light emitting from the thin tip of it glowed happily. But I didn't feel happy. I wanted to curl up here and sleep away my stress but the dust had begun to clog my nose from the moment I had been pulled in here against my will. So I just sat, allowing myself a few simple minutes of reflection time. I ran the argument-or heated discussion-through my mind once again. I couldn't figure out why he had been so interested in my problems. But that was irrelevant for now as I had noticed something else.

There had been many moments in this tiny broom cupboard that I had irked him greatly. But not once had he used the word 'Mudblood' when referring to me.

**_Reviews are much appreciated :)_**


	8. Leading Events

**_Chapter 8-Leading Events_**

_Hermione's POV:_

Skimming my tired eyes over the long stretch of parchment in my hands, I was vaguely aware of Harry and Ron watching me. I tried to ignore their insistent stares as I performed a speedy spell-check on my History of Magic essay but I couldn't find the will to concentrate. Their nosey eyes were irritating me and the fatigue was starting to breach my safety walls; hammering it down with crashing blows and scurrying through the cracks like desperate insects. This was all they had done for days now-watched me. And then they watched me some more. And a bit more. I couldn't escape their ever-prodding eyes as they waited for me to crumple into a mental break down. But they didn't realise that I had already had one of those-and that they had missed it. Malfoy had seen it though. I groaned inwardly at the memory.

Then, unable to shake the irritation of their stares, my head snapped up and I glared at my two friends.

"What?" I sighed, weary and frustrated. Ron's eyes flitted downwards to land on the glowing fire in front of him, embarrassment splashed across his face as his ears bloomed pink. Harry on the other hand, remained focused on me. His green eyes sparkled in the flame's light and his expression never faltered.

"We're just worried about you Hermione."

I threw down my essay onto the table in front of me with a sudden snap of my hand and slouched back into the lush crimson chair, completely fed up.

"That's all everyone is at the moment. Worried." I spat. "Why can't you understand that I don't _want_ anyone's pity or concern?"

Ron looked back at me again. The frustration that laced with his features probably mirrored my own.

"Well why can't _you_ understand that _we_ want to be concerned about you? We're your friends Hermione."

I only gave him the pleasure of my attention for a few seconds before I began to look around the large Gryffindor common room, avoiding his gaze. I didn't know how to make him see that what he thought was right, wasn't right for me. So I tried to ignore him. Although the fire was roaring brightly beside us, the room was still very dim as we were the only people downstairs so no extra candle light was required to make the dark night visible. The bubbly glow that enveloped us faded slowly into bleak darkness as it edged away from us; making it impossible to see much else of the room. But I still tried. I examined the painting that hung above the fireplace for longer than was necessary. The ginger quidditch player in the image stared back at me with a grin, his robes flowing gently out behind him in an invisible breeze and his thick hair twitching across his forehead.

"Hermione." Harry said sternly, forcing me to drop my reluctant gaze onto him once more.

"We only think that you're pushing yourself too hard. With all of the extra homework that you're doing, surely you need to let go of some responsibilities for the DA?" He pressed.

The mention of Dumbledore's Army made me groan. We had begun to set everything up over the past week, doing our best to avoid Umbridge's notice. But there was still a lot to do and it was becoming very complicated very fast.

"Harry, I missed a lot of school so I'm catching up. There's nothing wrong with that." I muttered, my thoughts now latched onto the DA. I had accidentally neglected it today whilst I busied myself with my own schoolwork-meaning that our pace of progress would decrease again. That was another thing added to the pile of worries that would claw relentlessly at my brain as I tried to sleep tonight. Why had I promised to sort everything alone?

But I wouldn't ask for help. I had said I would do it so I refused to back out now.

"I know that I could never persuade you to stop trying so hard to learn what you missed. But I'm saying that you could let me and Ron handle some of the DA things. If you tell us what needs doing then I'm sure that we could do it for you." A tiny smile crawled up his lips. But the cheerful sight-however forced it may be-did nothing to comfort me as it usually did.

"Harry." I sighed, leaning forward to rest my head in my hands as my bushy curls tumbled forward and shrouded my face-which I was thankful for. "You mean well-I get that-but you don't seem to realise how accurately this whole operation needs to be planned out. Everything has _got_ to be perfect. And if I leave anything for you pair to do, then for one thing it could go wrong and for another I'll be worrying about it going wrong even if it doesn't. So sorry but no. I can handle it anyway."

"It doesn't seem like you can." Ron muttered, speaking for the first time in a while. I lifted my head to meet his determined gaze. The flame's light hurt my eyes after being absorbed by the darkness for so long underneath my hands.

"I'm just tired tonight."

"It seems like you're tired _every_ night." Ron stated plainly, watching me with a mixture of intent and concern plastered on his face. His brow was furrowed and his mouth was set in a deep frown that didn't suit his face.

"For Merlin's sake, if I say that I'm fine then it means _I'm fine_. So leave me alone. You're making everything worse!" I screeched, drained and annoyed at having to repeat myself over and over again. I knew I was being cruel but they simply weren't listening.

My suspicions were proved correct as Harry and Ron both recoiled as if I had slapped them. The hurt was displayed openly on their face, seeming to suck the life out of their soft features. But I did nothing to console them-although every fibre in my body was shrieking at me, ordering me to make my two best friends feel better. I clenched my jaw to prevent myself from speaking and tensed my arms firmly by my sides. But it was no use. I longed to comfort them even though I wouldn't let them comfort me in my time of need.

"I'm going to bed." I stood and snatched up my abandoned essay from the wooden table, not bothering to check it again. Then I scrambled for my long forgotten quill and ink pot before clutching my wand and performing Lumos. An eerily white glowing orb was emitted from the fine-tipped end of my wand as I trudged forward, almost tripping over a book that had been left carelessly on the floor. Part of me urged to pick it up. But I was far too exhausted and fed up of being awake. So I continued to walk away from my friends, leaving them feeling hurt and still rather confused. I knew that I wasn't being my usual self-I hadn't been for days-but I needed this tough outer shell to get by. Eventually I was absorbed by the darkness and disappeared suddenly into the menacing shadows. When I reached the stairs, I clambered unceremoniously up them with my left palm gliding across the stone walls to guide me before slipping through the door to my dormitory.

_Draco's POV:_

Leaning back against the headboard of my four poster bed, I listened absently to the slow and shallow breathing of my fellow Slytherins as they slumbered around the shadowed room. My silk green quilt was pulled up to my waist and the rest of me was exposed to the cold night air. The frosty chill struck at the ghostly pale skin on my chest and nipped at it bitterly with every collision. The flicker of candles were absent as none of them were lit, so the sparkling yet ominous moonbeams that slithered through the high windows provided the only sight that I currently possessed. Sleep had been unsuccessful in capturing me and calling me its prisoner. So I lay awake-as I had done for the past two hours, silent and alone.

Leaning sideways to grab a book from my bedside table, the whole bed groaned in discomfort at my transferred weight. Pausing to make sure that I had not awoken any of the other boys in the room, I listened. But I heard no sound of movement or disgruntlement. So with the book firmly clutched in my hand, I fell back into my previous position. It wasn't exactly comfortable but I didn't have the energy to change it. I was locked in a slight paradox; with not enough energy to make myself comfortable but with too much energy to sleep. It was extremely irritating.

"Draco?" Someone's hushed voice pierced the quite soothing silence. With an inward sigh I answered.

"What? Who is it?" I snapped-perhaps a little too rudely considering I had probably just woken them up.

"It's Blaise."

Part of me rejoiced that I wouldn't have to converse with Crabbe, Goyle or other such idiots-I had recently grown weary of their mindless rambling. But at the same time, my stomach dropped. Blaise always had too much to say about me and most of the time it annoyed me. Perhaps I had just come to hate socialisation.

"How did you know it was me?" I asked reluctantly, not entirely wanting to encourage him.

"You can't ever keep still. I've been awake for ages trying to figure out who else it was that wasn't asleep but as soon as you started moving, I knew it was you. You fidget a lot you know." He spoke almost cheerfully.

"Yes Blaise I know." I sighed. No doubt he would engage me in some form of conversation after discovering that I was awake. And I wasn't in the mood at all.

Silently pleading that he wouldn't continue talking, I sat still and slowed my breathing. Perhaps if I sounded as though I was asleep, he would leave me alone. Then again, he might attempt to stir me with mumbled conversation. But I tried my luck. Staring down at the book-which I could only see the faint outline of-in my tensed pale hands, I cursed myself when I realised that to read it I would have to cast a Lumos. That would let Blaise know for sure that I was awake. With a deep sigh, I leant sideways again to put the aged book back. My hand ached and shook slightly with exhaustion as it hovered above the bedside table whilst holding the square object. After barely lowering my hand, I un-wrapped my slim fingers from around the book and let it drop into the darkness; hopefully onto the desired wooden table. The dull thud of hard material hitting and equally hard wooden object told me what I needed to know. Then lacking much effort, I slipped backwards. But instead of remaining sat upright as I had done before, I managed to sink down into the comfort of the plush mattress beneath my drained body. It appeared that sleep had finally found a way to trap me. Grateful for this, I allowed my eyes to slam shut and my muscles to loosen. It only took a few more seconds for me stop thinking and start floating around in the airy bliss of semi-consciousness. Then a thick, unpleasant noise shattered the delicate glass of my perfect reverie. The shards cluttered down around me and pierced long wounds in my body as the edges grazed my fragile, unprepared mind.

Furious, my eyes thrust themselves open and my upper body jerked upwards. The noise had been Blaise talking at me again.

"_What?_" I hissed, unsure of what exactly it was that he had said and reluctant to answer him. The silence was stretched on throughout the darkness for a while. I had probably offended him with my spiteful tone. But I wasn't concerned. If he was offended then he wouldn't talk to me-which I preferred greatly. But just as I was about to fall back into my pillow, he spoke. Typical.

"I said, do you think that you'll join the Inquisitorial Squad?" He said almost coldly through the shadows.

"What's that?"

"Umbridge came up with it. If you join then you get extra credit and stuff-you also get to take points away from people."

I cocked my head to the side-slightly interested-even though I could barely see Blaise's outline due to the lack of lighting in the warm room.

"What are they doing at the moment? Do you know?"

"Well Pansy signed up and got picked already so she told me that they basically look for people breaking the rules. But right now they're supposed to be watching Potter and his friends-there's a whole group of them that are acting really weird and sneaking around so obviously Umbridge is suspicious." Blaise explained in a hushed tone.

_Granger_.

As soon as the name popped into my head my entire body jerked backwards and my face scrunched up in disgust. Thankful that Blaise had been unable to see my reaction; I shook my head as if cleansing my mind of the horrifying thought.

But then I thought of her mother-as I had been doing often since Granger revealed her secret to me. Even though I had never even met the woman, she still filled my thoughts almost constantly. Whenever I saw the Gryffindor girl-which I tried not to do-my thoughts jumped to her mother. I would then spend too long pondering how Granger could be feeling. Whenever I received a letter from my own mother, I couldn't help but think about how I would react if _she_ were slowly dying inside. I had even told Pansy to stop moping about a cold with the excuse of 'at least you don't have a terminal illness'. This had shocked even me.

Although, the thought of lording over Potter by taking away his precious Gryffindor points held quite a lot appeal...

"How do I join?" I spoke before I had thoroughly thought it through.

"You have to go and see Umbridge-sign a form or something-and then she picks the people from the list. You're bound to get a spot considering your family name and such."

"Alright, thanks. But can you _please _let me sleep now? I almost begged. Blaise released a slight chuckle so I didn't bother to extract a proper answer from him. Exhaustion was plummeting down upon me now. Surrendering, I lowered myself down and yanked the green silk quilt up to my neck. Finally I could glide along the lonely but peaceful road to unconsciousness.

**_Sorry for the wait but I had some serious writer's block :( I knew_**what **_to write but I didn't know_**how **_to write it_**_**. Sorry again. Also I've been reading The Mortal Instruments which is VERY time consuming because it's literally SO SO SO good. Please read it. **_

_**Anyway, the actual Dramione should be picking up really soon. I just didn't want them to be all suddenly in love and stuff like that because c'mon that's a little unrealistic ;) Reviews are appreciated guys x)**_


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